Education Commons^™

Advanced Placement And Dual Enrollment As Related To College Readiness And Retention At A Tennessee University, Diana Bowers, Virginia P. Foley

ETSU Faculty Works

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant relationship between students who entered a Tennessee university for the first time in the fall of 2014 who had earned either Advanced Placement (AP) or dual enrollment credit and their college readiness and 1-year college retention. College readiness was defined by students’ American College Testing (ACT) sub scores in English, reading, and mathematics. The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) regulates the minimum sub score for each sub section that a student must obtain to be college ready. College retention was defined by students who enrolled at the …

The Clery Act: Student Awareness And Perceptions Of Effectiveness At A Public University And A Private College In East Tennessee, Jeffrey M. Jee, Donald W. Good

ETSU Faculty Works

The U.S. Congress has recognized that safety is essential on our college and university campuses. Incidents such as the Virginia Tech massacre and the death of Jeanne Clery have emphasized the need for legislation that assists students in selecting a safe college and improves their safety by reducing the incidence of crimes and fires. The Clery Act is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to provide annual information on the number and type of crimes on campus as well as the number and cause of fires occurring in the residence halls. The purpose of this study was to …

Key Elements Of A State Master Plan In Higher Education, Kristen L. Mchenry, Bethany H. Flora

ETSU Faculty Works

A master plan in higher education is developed to address the academic and workforce needs of a particular state. The master plan helps serve as the roadmap for implementation of proposed strategies to reach state goals in education and degree attainment. In Tennessee, Drive to 55 is a state-wide effort to increase the number of Tennesseans with a higher education credential to 55% by the year 2025. In an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the key elements within state master plans, an independent review of ten state plans was conducted. The states involved in the analysis were Tennessee, …

Impacts Of The Focus Act On Governance In Tennessee Higher Education Institutions, Jennifer H. Barber, Colin G. Chesley, Bethany H. Flora

ETSU Faculty Works

With the final passage of the Focus on College and University Success (FOCUS) Act which was signed into law on April 19, 2016, state universities within Tennessee are heading for major transitions in governance structure and autonomy. With changes moving at a speed atypical of higher education, these six soon-to-be former Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) universities must determine the best way to proceed from the current governance structure to a localized governing board while considering the future direction of the institution. Drawing on historical precedents and current policy changes, recommendations are made to the six universities for future governance …

Educational Leadership And Policy Analysis And Encouragement Study, Jenny Lee, Megan Owens, James Lampley

ETSU Faculty Works

Among doctoral programs, attrition rates and student feelings of isolation are high. In an attempt to determine the current levels and sources of support and encouragement from students enrolled in a Doctor of Education program, a survey was sent to students. There were 94 respondents to the online survey. Fifty-two (65%) of the respondents were female, and 28 (35%) were male. Fourteen respondents did not self-identify. Using an independent samples t-test, it was determined that female and male doctoral students report very similar experiences in support and encouragement. The majority of doctoral students reported the highest level of support (Total …

Website Study: What Information Are Prospective Graduate Students Seeking?, James H. Lampley, Megan E. Owens

ETSU Faculty Works

The purpose of this website study was to get feedback from recently admitted students to discover if the site was meeting their needs and expectations for information regarding the program and processes. Websites are often the first contact a student has with a university and, especially for those seeking a degree online, could potentially leave students with more questions than answers. After a thorough examination of the current website, an open-ended survey was created and distributed through SurveyMonkey in an attempt to gather information regarding the content and usability of the current site. Because of the responses, changes were made …

Organizational Communication: Perceptions Of Staff Members' Level Of Communication Satisfaction And Job Satisfaction, James Lampley, Priti Sharma, Donald W. Good

ETSU Faculty Works

Excerpt:The purpose of this research study was to explore the topic of organizational communication in higher education and examine staff members’ perceptions about their level of communication and job satisfaction in their workplaces.

Organizational Communication: Perceptions Of Staff Members' Level Of Communication Satisfaction And Job Satisfaction, Priti Sharma, James Lampley, Donald W. Good

ETSU Faculty Works

The purpose of this research study was to explore the topic of organizational communication in higher education and examine staff members’ perceptions about their level of communication and job satisfaction in their workplaces. This study was also designed to test the relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction by analyzing the significance of different dimensions of Communication Satisfaction with the view that satisfaction is multifaceted.

The results of the study indicated that gender differences and the number of years in service do not seem to make a significant difference in the level of satisfaction among staff members, but the level …

Shared Governance: A Comparison Of Perceptions And Implementation Between American And Chinese Higher Education Institutions, Dianyu Zhang, James Lampley, Donald W. Good

ETSU Faculty Works

The purpose of this study was to assess the status of institutional stakeholders’ perceptions and application of shared governance on an American higher education campus and a counterpart in China and determine if there were differences among the groups of stakeholders both within and between the institutions. Significant differences were found among the four categories of participants at the Chinese institution. For the General Acceptance dimension of the Perceptions of Shared Governance Inventory (PSGI) the Chinese staff members reported significantly higher scores than all the other three categories. For the Implementation dimension, staff members and the students scored significantly higher …

Race To The Paycheck: Merit Pay And Theories Of Teacher Motivation, Jason Horne, Virginia P. Foley, Bethany H. Flora

ETSU Faculty Works

Recent reforms in teacher evaluation tie these evaluations to student performance as measured by test scores and merit pay has been offered as a way to reward high test scores and improve teacher performance. Thus, the federal Race to the Top program has led several states toward teacher evaluation instruments that incorporate outcome data in the form of student achievement. In most states, this is the first step in the plan to institute a pay for performance program for teachers, also known as merit pay. This paper analyzes the concept of merit pay through the lens of equity theory. Equity …

Support For Higher Education: Perceptions Of Selected University Administrators And Legislators In Tennessee, Deidre Y. Davies, Donald W. Good

ETSU Faculty Works

This quantitative study examined the perceptions of selected university administrators and legislators concerning levels of support for Tennessee public higher education. The purpose of the study was to gain a greater understanding among the various constituents as to the needs and restraints facing higher education funding. The population targeted for this study was comprised of 132 members of the Tennessee General Assembly, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), the Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), the President of the University of Tennessee System, and 36 Chief Administrators at nine state-supported universities. The principal investigator …

Self-Assessment And Student Improvement In An Introductory Computer Course At The Community College Level, Jama Spicer-Sutton, James Lampley, Donald W. Good

ETSU Faculty Works

Excerpt:The purpose of this study was to determine a student’s computer knowledge upon course entry and if there was a difference in college students’ improvement scores as measured by the difference in pretest and post‐test scores of new or novice users, moderate users, and expert users at the end of a college level introductory computing class.

Support For Higher Education: Perceptions Of Selected University Administrators And Legislators In Tennessee, Deidre L. Yowell, Donald W. Good

ETSU Faculty Works

Excerpt:This quantitative study examined the perceptions of selected university administrators and legislators concerning levels of support for Tennessee public higher education.

A Comparative Study Of International And American Study Abroad Students’ Expectations And Experiences With Host Countries In Selected Institutions Of Higher Education, Jasmine Renner, Evelyn D. Roach

ETSU Faculty Works

This was a comparative study of international and American study abroad students’ experiences and expectations with the host countries. The rationale for this study was to acquire a deeper understanding of different experiences of students who study abroad and to understand whether their expectations of the host country have an impact on their experiences. An opportunity sample of American study abroad and international students was selected from the United States student population and their expectations and experiences of the host country compared. The study addressed 6 research questions, using a mixed-method approach. The principal instrument for the investigation was the …

Leadership Implications For College And University Administrators As The Present Morphs Into The Future, Donald W. Good

ETSU Faculty Works

Colleges and universities are unique organizations and, as such, require a different type of approach to leadership than might be effective in other types of organizations. It is argued participative leadership is more desirable and effective than other approaches and such this leadership style will be even more important in the future. The effectiveness of participative leadership on structural units within institutions of higher education is discussed with the focus upon making decisions with the greatest benefit to students, now and in the future, as a top priority. The issue is examined within the context of available data concerning trends …