Education Commons^™

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) …

The Transition Experience: Understanding The Transition From High School To College For Conditionally-Admitted Students Using The Lens Of Schlossberg’S Transition Theory, Samantha Elizabeth Devilbiss

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

Higher education in the United States is both a public good, providing educated, critical-thinking, prepared, and productive citizens; as well as a private good, giving individuals opportunities to improve their financial situation and possibly their statuses in society. In order for these goods to be earned, students need to be retained by colleges and complete their degrees. However, many students, especially conditionally-admitted students, are not retained by colleges and universities. Further, there is a lack of qualitative research on the transitional experiences of conditionally-admitted students as well as a lack of studies utilizing Schlossberg’s transition theory to make sense of …

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 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 Phenomenological Study Of The Retirement Transition Of K-12 Educational Administrators In The State Of Alabama, Lee A. Hicks

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

This phenomenological research study explored the experiences of educational administrators in the transition from their administrative responsibilities into retirement. The study was guided by a grand tour question addressed by three sub-questions. Data collected during the individual interviews with 10 retired educational administrators provided the basic understanding of the issues and lived experiences as they transition into retirement from fulltime employment as educational administrators to retirees from the State of Alabama educational system. An analysis of interview data revealed four themes regarding the perceptions and lived experiences of recently retired K-12 educational administrators from the State of Alabama. These four …

How College/University Administrators Handle The Disgruntled Parent, Loreal E. Robertson

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

This qualitative study explored how student affairs and academic affairs professionals communicate with parents of undergraduate students who attend MidPointe University (MPU). The literature review indicates that there has been little research conducted on the nature of the interaction between college and university administrators and parents. Available research studies indicate that administrators communicate with parents with more frequency than expected, considering the past findings. Millennial students are sheltered, pressured, unique, and are overly involved (Howe & Strauss, 2007; Elam, Stratton & Gibson, 2007). Parents of today’s students are making an extra effort to be involved in the lives of their …

The Effects Of Parental Involvement On The College Student Transition: A Qualitative Study At A Large Midwestern University, Lauren Edelman

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

This qualitative research studied the phenomenon of parental involvement in the college transition process and sought to understand if students perceived they were affected, relative to the development of independence and autonomy, by the amount of parental involvement they experienced during this transition. Six traditional college freshmen were interviewed and asked about their relationships with their parents, their parent’s involvement during the college search, application, and transition process, and how they perceived this involvement affected their development of independence and autonomy.

This study explored the effects of parental involvement as students transitioned from high school to college. The study looked …

Applying Schlossberg’S Transition Theory To Nontraditional Male Drop-Outs, Monica S. Powers

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

The purpose of this exploratory and phenomenological study was to investigate how nontraditional males who dropped out of a western four-year, Title IV authorized, public university before completing a bachelor’s degree described their perceptions of their situation, self, support, and strategies while moving in, moving through, and moving out of the college process. Fourteen interviews were conducted in person. Participants met the following criteria: (a) only included males; (b) met four or more nontraditional criteria to be included in the study; (c) were enrolled in an undergraduate degree program; (d) were enrolled within the last two calendar years with the …

Presidential Leadership During Strategic Transition: A Case Study Of Two Christian Institutions Of Higher Education, Douglas N. Searcy

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

This qualitative research addressed presidential leadership during the strategic transition of the respective Boards of Trustees at Gardner-Webb and Wingate Universities (private, Christian institutions in North Carolina). In addition to interviewing each institutional President, personal 60-minute interviews were conducted with selected faculty members, trustees, administrators, and students and relevant documents were perused for substantiating information. The objective of the study was to learn how each institution’s President guided their respective constituencies toward acceptance of change while conveying a sense of stability and focus on visioning.

Leadership theories and studies were introduced illustrating presidential considerations, roles, and implications encountered during institutional …

The Journey From Bedside To Classroom: Making The Transition From Nurse To Nurse Educator, Anne M. Schoening

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

In spite of a national nursing shortage, American schools are turning away students in record numbers. This is due in large part to a critical shortage of nursing faculty. Recruitment and retention of qualified nurse educators is essential in order to remedy the current staff nurse and faculty shortage, yet nursing schools face many challenges in this area. New nurse educators are often recognized as expert clinicians at the bedside, and most have advanced degrees in nursing; however, few have formal preparation for teaching, and faculty orientation programs vary widely between institutions. Thus, new nurse educators often begin their academic …