Education Commons^™

Fundraising Managers’ Perceptions Of Online Education’S Influence On Fundraising Practices And Giving, Peter J. Szucs

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The influence of online education on higher education fundraising practices and giving patterns is not well understood. This qualitative case study explored how fundraising managers perceived the impact of online education on higher education fundraising. To explore this phenomenon, the researcher interviewed fundraising managers at private, nonprofit colleges and universities in the western United States, and reviewed publicly available documents on the participant schools fundraising and financial information. The interviews demonstrated that study participants were concerned about connecting with graduates of online programs, and perceived that online students may have less affinity for their alma mater than on-ground alumni. The …

"This Doesn't Happen Here": Child Sex Trafficking In Rural Oklahoma, Denise Blum, Tania Benoiton, Sean Kinder

Administrative Issues Journal

The sex trafficking of minors is a hard-to-detect and underreported crime. Its insidiousness makes it exceedingly difficult to recognize, and treatment, once a victim is recovered, is long-term and costly. Urban areas are in the spotlight when it comes to the trafficking of minors. However, the unsuspecting rural context consists of specific dynamics that may make children in the countryside more vulnerable than in the city. Using the case of an Oklahoma town, the researchers conducted a presentation on child sex trafficking for school personnel at a K-8 rural school. They administered pre- and post-surveys and conducted follow-up interviews with …

Burning Community Integration And Disability, Christopher Shane Brace

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with anxiety and depression have always been marginalized and stigmatized. Individuals with “hidden” disabilities are encouraged by society to keep them hidden, or face ridicule and persecution. Society decreases their sense of self-worth, and self-efficacy by destroying any perception of normalcy. Social support resources are vital for individuals with anxiety and depression’s continued mental health. As time goes on the individuals experience a decrease in the amount of available resources, at the same time the need for them increases. These individuals need a way to quickly replenish their social resources and the Burning Man regional network creates a unique …

Positive Deviance As A Framework For Understanding Motivations And Barriers To Exercise For University Students At Campus Recreation, René Dario Herrera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to use qualitative research methodologies to better understand motivations and barriers to exercise for university students at campus recreation. The secondary purpose was to identify any correlations between physical activity habits and academic success. Ethnographic data obtained from a positive deviance sample and critically analyzed with feminist and postmodern theory could provide additional validation for campus recreation's value in positively contributing to the academic success of university students.

Participant observation, questionnaire, cultural domain analysis, interview, and focus group provided qualitative data.

Results indicate university students who frequent campus recreation to exercise are highly motivated …

Qualitative Analysis Of Grocery Store And Farmers Market Manager Perceptions Regarding Use Of Fruit And Vegetable Educational Materials, Lacey A. Mccormack, Shelly Brandenburger, Karlys Wells, Suzanne Stluka

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The Pick it! Try it! Like it! (PTL) educational resource set, developed to display in grocery stores and farmers markets, teaches individuals how to shop for and prepare healthy fruit and vegetable dishes. Because program buy-in must be obtained from location managers before implementation occurs, the purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the perceptions that grocery store and farmers market managers have regarding PTL implementation. Locations that requested PTL materials during 2013-14 were contacted and asked to answer 13 questions. Responses were analyzed using the content analysis method with themes generated and frequencies reported. Analyses examined manager perceptions …

The Benefits Of Family Science Education: The Male Perspective, Michael R. Langlais, Sylvia Asay, Anthony Walker, J. Mitchell Vaterlaus

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The majority of university family science courses are predominantly comprised of women. Because family science classes are centered on information and concepts relevant for both men and women, it is important to understand gendered experiences to promote healthy family and romantic relationships. Not only would men benefit from these classes, but increasing male enrollment in family sciences courses will help promote gender diversity in higher education. The current study used qualitative analyses to examine the perceptions of male undergraduate students concerning the benefits of taking family science courses. Male undergraduates from three midsize universities in the Midwestern and Western United …

What About Us? For Girls Between Worlds: How Black Girls Navigate White High Schools, Cryslynn C. Billingsley

Dissertations

This qualitative study is about the experiences and challenges Black girls have while attending predominantly White high schools and what they are doing to navigate that particular space. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand more about how Black girls navigate White space as minority members of a system that was not originally intended for them. Through semi-structured interviews, Black girls were asked directly to share their lived experiences. This study hopes to illuminate and amplify the voices of Black girls and help others see them by giving them a platform to discuss and tell their stories. …

The Intervention Path: The Experiences Of Mothers Seeking Help For Their Child With Atypical Behavioral Development, Renee Hoopes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pre-school aged children experience challenging behaviors at a relatively common rate. Research shows that approximately 10–25 % of preschool-aged children engage in challenging behaviors to a greater degree than would be expected for their age (Lavigne, Gibbons, Christoffel, Arend, Rosenbaum, Binns, Sawon, Sobel & Isaacs, 1996). Problem behaviors are often the result of a child not following a typical developmental trajectory. Atypical development appears when a child either lags behind or jumps ahead of typical peer progress in physical, cognitive, behavioral, and social development or in adaptive life skills. When children with challenging behaviors are left untreated, their everyday functioning …

“Is Sarah A Bully Or A Friend?”: Examining Students’ Text-Based Written Expressions Of Bullying, Elizabeth M. Hughes, Sandra Quiñones

Middle Grades Review

Bullying has been recognized as a complex phenomenon with potential for serious negative outcomes. Activities that address complex social situations of bullying, such as reading and writing to a pen pal about fictional literature, provide space for students to think and share about personal issues that they encounter and how characters deal with similar issues in productive ways. For this research, we used a critical literacy lens to explore bullying within the context of language, power and context. This research shares qualitative analysis of letters students wrote to adult pen pals after reading a fictional book with a plot addressing …

Using Focus Groups To Explore Sources Of Self-Efficacy In Puerto Rican Preservice Teachers, Yitza A. Arcelay-Rojas

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This article used focus groups to explore Puerto Rican preservice teachers' perceptions of sources of self-efficacy. The present study allowed, through a qualitative design, examination of the experiences of preservice teachers at the end of their student teaching practicum. The qualitative design and the use of the focus group technique provided insight into the main sources of their perceived self-efficacy through the self-assessment of their field experience. The beginning of the student teaching practicum provoked an intense process of emotions in which the preservice teachers needed support and guidance, particularly in aspects of planning, differentiation, and classroom management. The participants …

Structural Features Of Modified Natural Albuminous Fibre And Important Directons For Improvement Of Production’S Quality, D Xasanov, R.M Davlatov

Bulletin of Gulistan State University

As a result of modification of properties of proteinaceous fibers, considerably change their molecular and remolecular structure. It confirms the change of structural values’ of the surface of fibre. Also, it a food allowance of a silkworm during qualitative fiber and its influence on quality a product was studied. As the silkworm eats only mulberry leaves during the period, the period is very important because later the silkworm eats the nutrients which are saved up in its organism.

Black Virgin Islands Male High School Dropouts: A Qualitative Study, Edward L. Browne

The Qualitative Report

The dropout phenomenon involving Black Virgin Islands male high school students residing in the United States Virgin Islands has become a major area of concern for parents, educators, policy makers, and other community stakeholders. However, little is known about the direct or indirect factors that lead many Black Virgin Islands male students to drop out of high school. For the actual study, the researcher used a qualitative phenomenological approach to examine the experiences of seven Black Virgin Islands males who dropped out of high school. The study results revealed seven important themes (a) grade retention, (b) disengagement with school officials, …

The Experience Of Coparenting Within The Parameters Of Divorce: Perspectives From Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Nycole C. Kauk

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a disorder that includes persistent impairment in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, or activities. The purpose of this study is to capture the perspectives and experiences of parents who are divorced but are still coparenting their child with ASD. Current literature gives insight into how ASD affects the family system, but there is no literature to date that examines how parents coparent their child when the family system is split. ASD is a lifelong and impactful disorder impacting not just the individual’s adaptive functioning, but also …

Rural Students’ Sense Of Belonging At A Large Public University, Benjamin P. Heinisch

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

This qualitative case study explored how undergraduate students from rural areas experience higher education environments and develop a sense of belonging at a large Midwestern public university. This study defined rural considering students’ hometown population size and density as well as each individual participant’s constructed reality of a rural identity (Crockett, Shanahan, & Jackson-Newsom, 2000). The following questions guided this study: (1) How does students’ identification with their rural background influence how they experience their college environment? (2) What do rural students see as key environmental factors affecting their sense of belonging? (3) Is the institution providing supportive environments for …

Privileged And Complicit: Education And Understanding Of White Privilege At A Predominately White Institution, Chase Rourke Dolan

Masters Theses

At predominately-white institutions (PWI), students commonly come from racially homogenous backgrounds and may have never had to think about their racial identity or racial issues. The purpose of this study was to examine white students’ understandings of the concept of privilege, the effectiveness of their education at this institution about privilege, and their comfort with racial dialogue. Without an understanding of privilege and oppression, and their complicity in this system, students cannot be expected to engage meaningfully in any discussion about racial injustice. Helms’ white racial identity development model, Watt’s privileged identity exploration model, and critical race theory were used …

Scrapbook Interviewing: Exploring Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder’S Experiences In Physical Education, Amanda Yessick

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning that students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ascribed to their experiences in self-contained physical education (PE) classes. Four participants with a primary diagnosis of ASD who attended a self-contained PE class in a separate public day school were purposively selected for this study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observational field notes, and reflective notes. Methodological triangulation, researcher reflexivity, and peer debriefing were utilized to support trustworthiness. After interview transcription, thematic development was conducted using a three-step analytic process informed by the purpose and research approach adopted in this study. …

A Look At Emotional Intelligence: A Qualitative Study Of Peer Mentorship Via Circle Of Friends, Christopher De Loach

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of former Circle of Friends (CoF) nondisabled peer mentors of students with multiple disabilities to discover how this mentorship program impacted Daniel Goleman’s four dimensions of emotional intelligence.

Methodology: This study employed a qualitative phenomenological design. In qualitative designs, the researcher seeks to welcome the subject’s voice into a chorus that contributes to the summative ballad of the sample. The researcher must seek to be a neutral conduit that captures those voices. Thus, the researcher in this study interviewed 14 former peer friends from the CoF program …

Pursuing A Dream: The Lived Experiences Of Early Leavers And Their Return To Alternative High School, Patrick Morrissette

The Qualitative Report

This article describes a phenomenological study that explored the experiences of early leavers who chose to return to high school in order to pursue their diploma. Eighteen students, including males and females, participated in individual tape recorded interviews, during which they described their experiences, yielding written protocols that were thematically analyzed. Results from this study revealed seven prominent themes that included the following (a) facing reality, (b) launching process, (c) determination, (d) overcoming barriers, (e) supportive influences, (f) proving self, and (g) learning context. Findings and implications for educators and future research are included.

Putting The Patient Back In Patient Care: Health Decision-Making From The Patient’S Perspective, Bill R. Garris, Amy Weber

ETSU Faculty Works

This research explored health decision-making processes among people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Our analysis suggested that diagnosis with type 2 was followed by a period of intense emotional and cognitive disequilibrium. Subsequently, the informants were observed to proceed to health decision-making which was affected by three separate and interrelated factors: knowledge, self-efficacy, and purpose. Knowledge included cognitive or factual components and emotional elements. Knowledge influenced the degree of upset or disequilibrium the patient experienced, and affected a second category, agency: the informants’ confidence in their ability to enact lifestyle changes. The third factor, purpose, summarized the personal and …

An Exploration Of The Factors That Motivate Gifted And Talented Rural Students To Engage In Stem, Issabella Baldwin Zurek '18, Takudzwa George '18, Clinton Oshipitan '18, Robert Luo '18, Amy Wang '18

Student Publications & Research

Research Questions:

• What motivates rural students to pursue STEM?
• How can we use these factors to engage more rural students in STEM?

Men's Perspectives On The Impact Of Female-Directed Cash Transfers On Gender Relations: Findings From The Hptn 068 Qualitative Study, Makhosazane Nomhle Khoza, Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Fiona Scorgie, Jennifer Hove, Amanda Selin, John Imrie, Rhian Twine, Kathleen Kahn, Audrey Pettifor, Catherine L. Mac Phail

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

HIV is an inherently gendered disease in eastern and southern Africa, not only because more women than men are infected, but also because socially constructed gender norms work to increase women's HIV-infection risk. The provision of cash transfers to young women alone in such a context adds another dimension to already existing complex social relations where patriarchal values are entrenched, gender inequality is the norm, and violence against women and girls is pervasive. It raises concerns about complicating young women's relationships with their male partners or possibly even setting them up for more violence. In our attempt to understand how …

"Stitching" Voices Into The Patchwork Quilt Of Qualitative Research, Gai M. Lindsay

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

To Assemble and Stitch a Research Dissertation When I learnt the art of patchwork quilting, the elderly teacher bemoaned the need to hold a quilt together with stitches. The joy in quilting, she explained, stems from a delight in fabrics, colours and the quilt design. She joked that were it possible to 'whack a quilt together' with glue, it would be preferable to the labour-intense process of assembly by stitching. However, to 'short-cut' the assembly process would not produce a quilt likely to be appreciated for its beauty, stability or warmth. I extend this notion to the doctoral thesis process.

The Underrepresentation Of Low Socioeconomic Status Children In Gifted And Talented Programs, Teresa Clark-Massey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem is children from low socioeconomic status households are often underrepresented in gifted and talented programs. Only a small percentage of these students is selected to participate in the district's gifted program. The purpose of the study was to help appropriately identify and include low SES children in the district's gifted program. The social constructivist foundation was applied for a better understanding of how the environment affects a child's learning and how social factors contribute to cognitive development, which could possibly alter the perceptions of how successful children can be. The guiding questions revolved around the teachers' perceptions of …

The Digital Self: A Qualitative Approach To Studying Female College Students' Use Of Social-Networking Platforms, Megan Christine Gore

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to understand how female college students make use of social networks, specifically how they use the medium to connect with others. Researching socialnetworking use pertaining to the phenomenon of connection will give a richer understanding of female students’ lived experience of social networking. Many quantitative studies have been conducted about social networking, but more qualitative measures are needed to explore social networking. With the continuously changing social-networking platforms, there is little research that sheds light on social-networking use among female college students. My goal was to conduct a qualitative research study that examined female …

Effective Leadership Strategies, Employee Performance, And Organizational Sustainability In The Boxing Industry, Rita Ali

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective leadership impedes employee performance and threatens organizational sustainability, causing U.S. businesses to spend billions of dollars addressing such issues. Correspondingly, boxing promotion companies are challenged as some leaders lack strategies to improve employee performance. This single case study was focused on leadership strategies utilized in the boxing promotion industry to improve employee performance. Transformational and charismatic leadership theories were the conceptual framework for this study. The data consisted of semistructured interviews with 8 participants from 1 organization (4 leaders and 4 subordinates), as well as document review of company training materials. The 6-step model for thematic analysis coding procedure …

Community College Transitioning Experiences Of Dual Enrollment Students, Sandra Lucille Fuline

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dual enrollment transitioning experiences of students are poorly understood, leaving higher education stakeholders without the proper information to smooth the transitioning process and keep students in college. This basic qualitative study using interviews explored how 10 dual enrollment students described their transitioning experiences from high school to community college by investigating their motivations, ability to acknowledge self-efficacy, and understanding of social interactions using Badura's self-efficacy model and Keller's motivational theory and the attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction model. Data were analyzed through an open coding method to categorize themes and patterns as well as discrepant information. Key findings indicated that …

Teacher Perceptions Of Parental Involvement At An Inner-City K-8 Center In The United States, Latonya Eaford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educators and researchers have long considered parental involvement to be an integral factor in the success of students. However, parental involvement is low in many U.S. schools. Guided by Epstein's parental model, the purpose of this case study was to examine teachers' perceptions and experiences of parental involvement at an inner-city K-8 center in the United States which has had low parental involvement over the last 5 years. The overarching research question concerned teacher perceptions and experiences regarding communicating with parents, encouraging learning at home, and parents volunteering. Data sources consisted of interviews, questionnaires, and unobtrusive data. Purposeful sampling was …

The Experiences Of Male Counselors Of Children Who Have Experienced Trauma, Kathleen Michelle Wallace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Men are increasingly underrepresented in counselor education and in the counseling profession, with only 27% of members of the American Counseling Association reporting as men. Men in counseling often feel marginalized and isolated. Additionally, they are socialized to be independent, emotionally and physically strong, and to focus on success, while being discouraged from seeking help. Continual exposure to the trauma material of others can cause secondary trauma, with cumulative deleterious effects identified in this study using the Heidegger's hermeneutic phenomenology. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of male counselors who primarily work with …

Hablando De La Herida: Honoring Spanish-Speaking Parents’ Experiences Obtaining School-Based Speech And Language Services For Their Children, Amalia W. Hernández

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the experiences of Spanish-speaking Latino/a parents in their attempts to obtain school-based speech and language services for their children; the impact of these experiences on parents; and parent perspectives on how school-based speech-language pathologists can co-create collaborative relationships. Through a detailed analysis of a focus group and individual interviews of 31 Spanish-speaking parents of children in the REAAD! (Reaching Educational Achievement and Development) Literacy Enrichment Program at a university in Los Angeles, California, this study provided a space for parents to share their experiences and offer insights regarding what shaped their experiences. Through the theoretical lens of …

Educational Leadership Development In Saudi Arabia: Experiences Of Participants Of The Saudi Oxford Program For Educational Leaders, Azizah Fhad Alogali

Theses and Dissertations

Given the recent surge of interest in educational leadership development in Saudi Arabia, a qualitative study was undertaken to evaluate the perspectives of participants in one intensive leadership training program called the Saudi Oxford Program for Educational Leaders (SOPEL). Using interview data with SOPEL participants and an analysis of their final projects, a holistic understanding of the participants’ experiences emerged. Findings included a confusion/conflation of concepts of leadership and management; a desire for more responsiveness and sensitivity to feedback on the part of the participants; logistical, linguistic, and administrative hurdles; quality control concerns; and a need to evaluate programs’ effectiveness …