Education Commons^™

Massive Open Online Courses And Mission: A Qualitative Study Regarding Matching Mooc Opportunity With Mission Statement, Tara L. Waln-Lewellyn

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

Since the first offering in 2008 (Fini, 2009; Liyanagunawardena, Adams & Williams, 2013), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been a phenomenon in higher education. While much research has been conducted on activities and experiences within these courses, little research from an administrative standpoint has been completed (Liyanagunawardena, et al., 2013). This qualitative case study examined the use of the mission statement in a committee’s determination whether or not to implement a MOOC at a Jesuit institution of higher education in the United States. Interviews were conducted with committee members, transcribed, and analyzed. Analysis determined that the mission statement did …

Principals Who Supervise Teachers Of The Deaf: A Mixed Methods Study, Tanya Hilligoss

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

School principals are responsible for supervising educational staff. Since the majority of students who are deaf or hard of hearing are served in public schools, it is important for principals to understand how to supervise teachers of the deaf. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of school principals who supervise teachers of the deaf in public schools in the United States.

In this mixed methods study, data was collected separately and sequentially, using an explanatory sequential design. Information was gathered from state-level personnel using a web-based survey for quantitative data. Data collected included: a) number of …

Strategic Indicators At Assemblies Of God Colleges, Charles Bryan Davis

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

The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify strategic indicators for use at Assemblies of God colleges. Strategic indicators are metrics which synthesize data to report on the current condition and trajectory of an institution in terms of the institution’s ability to pursue its mission. While some indicators are useful to almost all types of institutions of higher education, other indicators reflect the unique mission and goals of the individual institution. These indicators can be used to monitor trends over time at the same institution, or to compare data among a group of peer institutions. Peer institutions compare their …

The Predictive Validity Of Pre-Admission Measures On Podiatric Medical School Performance, Kevin M. Smith

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

This study explored the influence of pre-admission measures on podiatric medical school performance. The purpose of the study was to predict which students are most likely to succeed in podiatric medical school when admitted, and potentially decrease the cost of attrition experienced by the student and institution. A review of the literature on medical school admissions was completed and used to develop this research.

Podiatric medical students from a Midwestern institution who enrolled between the years 2000 and 2015 were included as the sample for the study (n = 804). Pre-admission measures that were available for the subjects included Medical …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Undocumented Latino Students To Enroll In And Persist At A Four-Year Public Hispanic-Serving Institution In Texas, Angela C. Stuart-Carruthers

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

Undocumented students in the United States are trapped in a myriad of completing federal, state, and local laws that impact their lives daily. While approximately 60,000 undocumented students graduate from high school each year, the college going rate for this population is substantially lower than their documented peers. Since President Obama signed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals executive order, undocumented students have gained national attention. Despite this new focus on undocumented students few studies have been conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the live experiences of these students.

Framed by Tinto’s (1993) Theory of Student Departure and Latino …

Determining The Difference Between Nebraska Administrators’ And Nebraska Secondary English Teachers’ Perception Of The Teacher Evaluation, Michael Scott Musil

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

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between Nebraska administrators’ and Nebraska secondary English teachers’ perceptions of the teacher evaluation. The study explored teacher and administrator perceptions of the teacher-evaluation process as it relates to Nebraska secondary English teachers. Teachers and administrators from across the state of Nebraska had equal opportunity to participate in this study.

Both groups of teachers and administrators responded by Likert scale to 42 online statements arranged by theme about their experiences regarding the teacher-evaluation process. Participants aggregated themselves by geography, school size, gender, experience, and socioeconomic status of students. Quantitative data was …

An Analysis Of The District Marginal Costs Of Mandatory State Standardized Tests, J. Eli Crow

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

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the estimate for the district marginal cost of mandatory state standardized assessments, (b) if student enrollment can be used to predict the district marginal cost of mandatory state standardized assessments, and c) the unit (per student) district marginal cost of mandatory state standardized assessments. The study included the use of a simple linear regression analysis with associated plots and trend lines.

The study established that district enrollment was correlated with district marginal cost of standardized testing which allowed the researcher to calculate the total and per student district level marginal cost …

Principals’ Experiences Of Autonomy In Nebraska Schools With Increased Hispanic/Latino Student Populations, Gary Czapla

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

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the autonomy experienced by five Nebraska public school principals as they lead their respective schools that have growing Hispanic/Latino student populations. This study determined if the principals’ autonomy has increased, decreased, or been impacted in any manner due to these changes of student demographics.

In-depth interviews were conducted with five principals working in schools where there has been an increase of Hispanic/Latino/ELL students over the last decade. This study revealed that the principals perceived that they have experienced a loss of autonomy. This study revealed the principals lacked autonomy to manage resources and personnel they …

The Impact Of Urbanicity On Student Engagement At Small, Residential, Liberal Arts Colleges, Todd Clark

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

This study analyzed the impact of urbanicity on student engagement at small, residential, liberal arts colleges. Data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) were analyzed from 29 schools (14 rural and 15 urban) using five scalets developed by Pike (2006) and six demographic variables from the NSSE survey. This analysis determined how urbanicity impacts student engagement and which group of students is particularly affected from among the demographics studied. The effects of urbanicity were measured in three ways: aggregate student data, school level data, and within-school data. These analyses showed that urbanicity does significantly impact student engagement, though …

Unfulfilled Expectations: Impact Of Formal Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment On Unmatched Potential New Members, Gregory J. Golden

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

Across hundreds of college campuses in North America, sorority organizations have rapidly expanded membership since their establishment in the late 18^th century. In this time period, many collegiate undergraduate women have come to realize the perceived benefits of sorority membership and the positive impact affiliation can have for a college experience. However, for every woman who is afforded this experience, there are numerous others whose initial transition into college is defined by exclusion from these privileged organizations.

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Panhellenic sorority recruitment process on former potential new members (PNMs) …

Exploring The Factors That Influence And Motivate Female Students To Enroll And Persist In Collegiate Stem Degree Programs: A Mixed Methods Study, Rosemary L. Edzie

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

Nationally, the need for an increase in interest, enrollment, and degrees awarded from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree programs continues to suffer. While students are enrolling in collegiate STEM degree programs, it is not occurring at a rate that meets the workforce demand. In addition to the concern that there is not a sufficient amount of collegiate STEM majors, there is a concern over too few females enrolling and persisting in collegiate STEM degree programs.

This mixed methods sequential exploratory research study considered the factors that influence and motivate undergraduate female students to enroll and persist in collegiate …

Developing A Sense Of Belonging For Commuter Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Eric S. Bloomquist

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

In this mixed methods study, the researcher explored the experiences of commuter freshmen at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln—a large, four-year, public institution. Specifically, he sought to better understand how commuter freshmen feel that they belong on their residential campus and what they report as their greatest needs in order to succeed. Using a quantitative survey returned from a sample of 92 students (n = 92), he found that a majority of the commuter freshmen did report feelings of belonging. Additionally, responses relating to feelings of not belonging were correlated with lower first-semester self-reported GPAs. In a follow-up Nominal Group …

Understanding The Importance Of English Education In South Korea And Exploring The Reasons Why South Korean Students Come To A University In The Midwest, Jaekeun Cho

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

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions held by South Korean students who study at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) of the benefits and values of studying English language. Furthermore, the researcher found what kinds of challenges Korean students encounter both before they come to UNK and after they come to UNK. A sample of UNK Korean students (30 interviewees) was chosen. The researcher used the stratified sampling technique and the semi-structure interviews to collect the data.

This study found the following results: (a) South Korean students significantly focus on achieving a high level of …

Making Their Own Way: The Experiences Of Gay Male Students In Stem Fields, Adam R. Smith

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

This thesis focuses on the experiences of gay male undergraduate students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. These fields are often thought to be very masculine or hyper-genderized, which could conflict with the dominant culture’s perception of a gay student’s identity. It follows, then, that a hypergenderized environment could have negative effects on those who do not identify strongly with the hegemonic masculine identity that may be present in the classroom.

Using phenomenological principles, students were asked to participate in a series of three interviews, which included two reflective exercises designed to explore their experiences in and …

Validation: Latino Voices In Higher Education, Krista Navarrette

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

This qualitative study explored Latino men’s experiences in higher education and their capacity to succeed at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) in the Midwest region of the United States. The study focused on six participants as they navigate through college and how they viewed their validation as Latino males in college. The literature review discusses the current state of Latino/a’s in higher education and how they are lacking in the education race in regards to white students. The researcher used Validation Theory to investigate Latino males - deemed the “invisible population”—in order to find new implications for persistence, pursuit, and …

Naspa’S New Professionals Institute: Exploring The Personal And Professional Impact Of A Two-Day, Intensive Professional Development Experience, Ashley Stone

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

Professional development experiences, like professional development literature, are vast. While existing professional development literature discussed the needs for and barriers toward professional development as well as the benefits and types of professional development experiences, no research existed about NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education’s (NASPA) New Professionals Institute (NPI), an intensive, two-day leading professional development experience for student affairs professionals who have been in the field for less than five years. Therefore, I conducted a phenomenological qualitative study, which explored the meanings NASPA’s Region IV-West NPI participants made of their two-day professional development experience as well as the personal …

Not Designed With Us In Mind: Exploring The Experiences And Needs Of Adult Learners At A Public Research University, Stephanie N. Meyer

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

Adult learners are a rapidly expanding student population, constituting more than 40 percent of college students today (Stokes, 2006). Research on adult learners has historically focused on their experiences within adult-centered institutions where they make up the majority student population. Although older students challenge the status quo of higher education, traditional institutions continue to dismiss their needs in the development of policies and practices. The structure of higher education is historically designed to serve youth and assumptions are often made about students that often overlook the needs, availability, and interests of adult learners. For many adult learners who prefer the …

Struggling To Advance Beyond Mid-Level Positions: Mentoring Women Leaders In Student Affairs, Ashley L.S. Tenney

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

This qualitative study explores the mentoring relationship of women in senior student affairs officer (SSAO) positions. Five women in SSAO positions were interviewed, sharing their experiences in being mentored throughout their careers in the student affairs profession. The five participants are employed at public higher education institutions in the west and midwest regions of the United States. The literature review discusses women in higher education, the student affairs profession, and mentoring relationships. Kram (1983) detailed the four phases of mentoring relationships; which was utilized in this research to further explore mentoring relationships that women SSAO have experienced throughout their careers …

What Matters Most? Factors Influencing Choice Of A Student Affairs Master's Program, Stacy A. Dam

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

Numerous studies exist on the undergraduate choice process. This has led to undergraduate models being applied to the graduate selection process even though there are known differences between groups. Graduate program enrollment is increasing, yet there is little research on what factors encourage prospective students to enroll in a particular master’s or doctoral program. This study seeks to add to the graduate program choice research for student affairs master’s programs. The sample population of this quantitative study was current master’s students who are members of the professional organization NASPA region IV-West and currently enrolled in a student affairs master’s program. …

The Impact Of Faculty Perception Of Student Affairs Personnel On Collaborative Initiatives: A Case Study, Matthew Peltier

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

Sandeen (1991) and, later, Winston, Creamer, Miller, and Associates (2001) describe the primary role of student affairs personnel as being educators. They further identify collaboration between student affairs and the faculty to be a key way in which this educational role is to be accomplished. However, there exists bifurcated understanding of student development, with faculty being responsible for intellectual development and student affairs professionals being responsible for psychosocial development.

Much attention has been given to the relationship between academic and student affairs, the role of each, and the potential that collaboration between the two offers in the achievement of developmental …

Managing Microaggressions: A Study On The Effect Of Microaggressions On Multiracial College Students, Brittany L. Hunt

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

The purpose of this study is to raise awareness about the experiences multiracial students face on college campuses specifically working to understand how multiracial students experience and manage microaggressions on campus in their daily lives. Within this I will take into account their experiences on campus as a framework for the types of microaggressions they are facing because this act of racism can be known or unknown to the victim. A microaggression is a form of racism that is “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate[s] hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights …

Exploring The Multiple Dimensions Of Intelligence Identity In High-Achieving Students, Amy A. Holland

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

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the important elements reported by second-year undergraduates at Midwestern University (MU) as they renegotiated their intelligence identity of being the smart one. The five participants were members of the 2012-2013 first-year cohort of Jumpstart Business Community (JBC). Per inclusion in JBC, the students identified as high-achieving students and/or were classified as accelerated learners in high school. The reconceptualized model of multiple dimensions of identity from Abes, Jones, and McEwen (2007) informed this study in the examination of renegotiation of the intelligence identity.

The main research question of this study was what …

The Influences Of The American Boxer Indemnity Reparations Remissions On Chinese Higher Education, Xiaojuan Zhou

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

The purpose of this study was to consider the influences of the American Boxer Indemnity Reparations Remissions (ABIRR) on Chinese higher education. These remissions were used to establish two universities, to establish the American Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program (ABISP) to support Chinese students’ studying in America, and to support other higher education- related projects.

This study focused on higher education considering ABISP as an individual case. The ABISP students were selected from all the students who studied in America in the corresponding period in part because of the inconsistencies of research before 1949.

Through tracking 1,152 ABISP students of Type …

Always In The Back Of Your Mind: Experiences Of Latina/O U.S. Citizens From Mixed-Immigration Status Households In Higher Education, Alicia Dominguez

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

This qualitative research explores the experiences of students who are United States citizens, first-generation students, and members of mixed-status households. The aim of the research is to understand the complex experiences of navigating higher education as a student from a mixed-status household. Through a semi-structured interview protocol interviews were conducted with six Latina/o identifying students who were first-generation students and members of mixed-status households. All participants were enrolled at a Midwestern, predominantly white institution (PWI). Through LatCrit (Bernal, 2002) and Counterstorytelling (Yosso, 2002) these students were given the space and opportunity to tell their stories and experiences as U.S. citizens …

Exploring The Socially Responsible Leadership Capacity Of College Student Leaders Who Mentor, Seth R. Barnes

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

The purpose of this study was to examine how participation as a mentor in a leadership-based mentoring program influences socially responsible leadership capacity. Previous studies have shown mentoring to influence gains in socially responsible leadership capacity of college students; however, these studies only examined college student who were being mentored. This study addresses this gap by examining college students who serve as mentors. Using the Social Change Model of Leadership as a guiding theoretical framework, the socially responsible leadership capacity of college students who serve as mentors in a leadership-based mentoring program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Data …

The Senior Year Transition, Catherine E. Long

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

This research focuses on how college seniors emotionally and mentally experience their final year of college. The senior year experience should be a time of reflection and closure of their undergraduate experience. The students in this study identified how types of involvement led them to self-reflection and recognize individual strengths and outcomes that prepared them for their post-graduate lives. By capturing these students’ voices through their experiences the research examined the need for all-inclusive support during the senior year transition. The data provides implications for programming and services, with the intent to facilitate reflection and closure.

Adviser: Debra Mullen

A Portrait Of School Leadership At Senshu University Matsudo Junior And Senior High School, Travis T. Brady

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

As an important symbolic figure and embodiment of the traditions and character of the school, the position of principal in Japan is crucial. Yet societal pressures and an undefined job description are serving to increase pressures of the position. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine school administrative leadership at a private high school, Senshu University Matsudo Junior and Senior High School. The central research question was: What is the leadership role of the secondary administrator at Senshu University Matsudo Junior and Senior High School?

The sub-questions were: (a) What were the post-war changes implemented in Japanese secondary …

Doctoral Program Specialists In The Big Ten Conference, Eva Burns Bachman

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

An increase in non-academic personnel in higher education institutions has led to the development of specialized roles for staff members. One of these roles is the doctoral program specialist.

The purpose of the study was to explore the role of doctoral program specialists in the universities of the Big Ten conference in the U.S.

The study focused on a) the work of doctoral program specialists; b) their relationships with members of the university community involved in graduate education; and c) how the administration and work expectations have changed during the past five years. Role theory provided the theoretical framework for …

Creating 21st Century Classrooms: What District Level Instructional Leaders Know About Leading 21st Century Learning, Jeff Arrington

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

Common Core standards and 21st century instruction are topics at the forefront of current educational literature (Greenstein, 2012; Long, 2012; Sheninger & Larkin, 2012; Wilson, 2006). Though Common Core standards may provide a foundation for the literacy and numeracy that has been identified in preparation for college and career, even Common Core agrees that this preparation and readiness is complex and more than the standards address. “The reality is that students must develop a complex skill set that prepares them for both the rigor of college and the demands of the workplace” (Greenstein, 2012). Twenty-first century skills have been described …

Greek Affiliation And Education Abroad: A Quantitative Study Of The Role Of Greek Involvement In Study-Abroad Experiences, Luke Paul Martens Bretscher

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

The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the impact that Greek affiliation has on the education-abroad experience. Specifically, the study examined whether there were differences in the experiences of Greek and non-Greek undergraduate education-abroad participants.

The central question for the study was: Are there differences in participation and experiences in education-abroad activities between students affiliated with social Greek letter organizations and students who are not affiliated with social Greek letter organizations? The researcher examined four different experiential differences: rate, influences to participate, barriers, and educational outcomes.

By examining 705 current University of Nebraska—Lincoln students who had study-abroad experiences, …