Education Commons^™

How A Study Abroad Program Supports Its Students Of Color: A Case Study, Hannah E. L. Bloom

Master's Theses

Students of Color study abroad at rates lower than their white peers, thus missing out on the academic, personal, and intercultural benefits one can gain from studying abroad. The purpose of this thesis was to conduct a qualitative case study to examine how a study abroad program supports its Students of Color during the pre-departure phase of study abroad. This case study uses Critical Race Theory as its theoretical lens. Research for this case study included interviews with four study abroad practitioners from one study abroad program, and a review of the study abroad program’s online spaces. This thesis endeavored …

Constructed Borders In Higher Education: A Critical Policy Analysis Of Undocumented College Students' Access To Study Abroad, Louise K. Hon

Master's Theses

Abstract Between 2012 and 2017, undocumented youth in the United States with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival status were able to apply for Advance Parole permissions to travel abroad for educational purposes. During this time, DACA students attending colleges and universities across the nation engaged in study abroad through established education abroad programs. This qualitative study examines undocumented students’ decision to pursue educational abroad opportunities during their undergraduate education in the context of national, state and institutional policies and climate and compares and contrasts the experiences of the undocumented college students who successfully studied abroad with those who either attempted …

Minority Student Food Insecurity In Higher Education, Joe Sevillano

Master's Theses

The minority student population in higher education has been affected by food insecurity at a disproportionate rate. Several studies have captured some of the issues associated with the material deficit but fail to identify more in-depth contributing factors. Using the theoretical framework of intersectionality, the researcher examines the experience, interpretation, and navigation of food insecurity in a medium-sized university located in a major city on the west coast. The researcher interviewed three students that self-identified as having multiple minority identities and experiencing some level of food insecurity while pursuing a degree. Findings from three rounds of interviews gave further context …

Higher Education As A Development Tool: An Impact Assessment In Dzaleka Malawi, Emily Golike

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of accredited online diploma programs within refugee camps. When individuals are confined to camps and unable to work and travel in search of economic opportunity, does completing an accredited diploma program improve their quality of life and contribute to their human capital? Can higher education in refugee camps produce sustainable social service projects that benefit residents? There is a demonstrated value in a liberal arts education, but which aspects of this learning schema are most beneficial in the refugee camp context have yet to be explored.

The study conducted in …

Conditionalities Of The Knowledge Banks And The Financing Of Higher Education In West Africa: A Focus On Ghana, Nigeria, And Sierra Leone, Innocent Chima Ugwoke

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to understand how the loan conditionalities of the knowledge banks—the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are affecting the funding of higher education in West Africa generally by particularly comparing Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The role of higher education has been linked with development, and development has remained a concerned issue in Africa. The commitment of the states in funding higher education in order to achieve the desired goal of development is continuously met with difficulty. The reliance of these countries on the loans of the knowledge banks, which are associated with …

Women In Leadership And The Politics Of Power, Caitlin Maeve Kendall

Master's Theses

With the use of intimate interviews, this qualitative research study employed an experiential, story-telling approach to gather a more thorough understanding of individual female experiences in leadership positions in the field of education in relation to the literature on female leadership in a gendered workforce. Although this study only included the experiences of several women leaders in the field of education in the Chicago area, the preexisting research on the topic guided the interview questions and divulged the nexus between a culture of systematic gendered hierarchy in the workplace and the strategies and characteristics of success employed by female leaders …

Benchmarks For Transition: Do St. Louis High Schools Promote Graduates That Can Make The Transition To Higher Education?, Kevin Harrman

Master's Theses

Are St. Louis area high schools designed to create graduates that are prepared to enter schools of higher education, or are their graduation requirements structured such that graduates even qualify for entrance to higher education institutions? This study is geared towards answering this question and will do so by comparing two lines of inquiry. First this study will analyze four sets of three randomly picked area high schools (three sets designated by per capita income and one set of private catholic schools). Information will be gathered concerning graduation requirements and how many Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate courses are available. …

From The Postal Medium To Electronic Media: A Historical Overview Of The Development Of Distance Learning In Higher Education With A Focus On Correspondence Study And Electronic Delivery Methods, Robson Marinho

Master's Theses

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to overview the development of distance learning in higher education both in the United States and around the world, stressing the relationship between correspondence study and electronic delivery methods as a basis for understanding and fostering different distance-learning methodologies.

Significance of the Study

The significance of this study resides in the fact that the current technological revolution is challenging all traditional forms of higher education and pointing to distance learning as the great phenomenon of today’s educational world. If distance education has played a secondary role in higher education so …