Education Commons^™

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) …

Capturing Awareness: The Perception Of Higher Education At An At-Risk, Urban Middle School, Kristen M. Upp

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

The purpose of this study is to understand at-risk, urban middle school students’ perceptions of higher education through the minds of young students from a diverse, inner city schooling background. This study sought to understand barriers preventing students from attending college and the positive contributing factors encouraging them to do so. Written interviews were conducted in an 8^th grade urban middle school in the southern United States.

One hundred five (105) students voluntarily participated in the research study, writing their thoughts pertaining to higher education and their feelings on the topic. The following themes were found: Family Involvement, Financial …

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 …

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 …