Education Commons^™

Student Retention Through Decision Making And Withdrawal: The Importance Of Course Scheduling In Higher Education, Danielle Faucett

Dissertations

Student retention is a fundamental issue in higher education, with student decision-making and withdrawal at the forefront of examining that issue. Previous research has shown that personal factors are not easily addressed, but institutional factors, such as the course scheduling process, can be modified. This research study examined how the course schedule can influence degree-seeking students at a state-funded, 4-year institution by exploring the correlation between class standing and the importance of how courses are scheduled, the correlation between class standing and the ability to register for a required course, and what factors predict a student’s decision to withdraw from …

(Post)Modern Asymmetry: Calibrating The Adult Education Philosophy And Practices Of Faculty Teaching Interdisciplinary Studies In The Community College, Jeremy Dennis

Dissertations

In adult education, the term interdisciplinarity is often treated as an agent for transforming teaching, learning, and research. This appreciation of the concept proliferates despite the fact that its actualization often supports competing interpretations and practices. Many adult educators are unaware of the distinctions made among instrumental, conceptual, and critical interdisciplinarity and the philosophical traditions employed to legitimate their different trajectories. To address these concerns and others, scholars such as Lattuca (2001) have advanced a postmodern conceptualization of interdisciplinarity and introduced a supporting theoretical framework to clarify its character and modes of operation. However, she omitted community college faculty from …

You Can Get There From Here: A Phenomenological Study Of Help-Seeking Behavior And Experiences Of Student Military Veterans In Community College, Donivan Foster

Dissertations

This phenomenological study described the experiences of student military veterans in a community college with physical and psychological health needs. Each participant enrolled in the community college by utilizing the benefits of the post-9/11 GI Bill and transitioned from active duty to civilian life. More than 40,000 programs in the United States are designed to assist veterans transitioning to civilian life (Carter, 2013). Further, the health needs and transition experiences of military veterans have been well-documented. Numerous programs seek to reduce barriers; however, many veterans experience challenges when using the programs or services (Perkins et al., 2019; Aronson et al., …

Implementing A D/Deaf Educational Module For Graduate Nursing Students, Brenda J. Pauley

Dissertations

Problem: Nurse practitioners lack knowledge and skills to effectively communicate with D/deaf individuals which potentiates risk for health disparities and gaps in care. Graduate nursing programs rarely incorporate D/deaf-focused education in their curriculums.

Methods: This descriptive quality improvement project implemented the first D/deaf-focused educational online module at a Midwestern university’s College of Nursing. A purposive sample of 38 BSN-DNP students enrolled in the Spring Intensive completed a pre- and post-education survey. Both surveys assessed students’ D/deaf perceptions through Lewis and Keele’s (2020) D/deaf and Hard of Hearing Interaction Beliefs Scale for Registered Nurses (DdHH-IBS/RN) and evaluated students’ knowledge through a …

From Empathy To Social Empathy: A Journey In A Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Workplace Graduate Certificate, Francesca Ferrari, Lisa M. Woodrum

Dissertations

This study aimed to explore and understand the impact of the Graduate Certificate in Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI Graduate Certificate) on master’s and doctoral students’ social empathy (SE) development. The participants in this certificate engaged in several online activities that increased their knowledge of microaggressions, privilege, and unconscious bias while building their social empathy. This certificate provided various tools and skills to its participants so that they might value diversity, look at the world from another’s perspective, and start a dialogue to promote social change. This case study involved 19 participants. To answer our research questions, we used …

Research And Relationship-Based Curriculum – Exploration Of How Research And Relationship Experiences In Undergraduate Education Impact Students’ Employability, Graduate Education Intention, And Entrepreneurial Acumen, Michelle Pipes

Dissertations

After decades of shrinking financial research support (Smith, 2004), continuously rising tuition and student debt (Beal et al., 2019), and the induction of numerous alternatives (Garrett, 2021), traditional higher education is struggling to provide the value that students are demanding (Woodall et al., 2014). Student engagement has been positively linked to increased retention (staying in school until completion of a degree) and reduced dropout (leaving school and not returning) rates (Finn & Rock, 1997; Reschly & Christenson, 2012), both of which contribute to how students perceive the value of higher education (Alves, 2011). The purpose of this study was to …

The Color Of Conduct: A S.I.S.T.A.'S Tale Of Race, Housing, And Higher Education, Natasha Gibson-Winston

Dissertations

S.I.S.T.A., suffering in silence to be acknowledged, is an acronym that symbolizes the hidden voices of Black women in higher education and abroad. This study examined the experiences of a graduate student woman of color impacted by university housing policies and practices as a judicial student conduct officer at a historically white institution. Using autoethnography as a methodology, grounded in critical race theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework, this qualitative study aims to highlight the ways Black women can and have been harmed in predominantly white spaces and processes within higher education. The application of the aforementioned frameworks found the …

From Family Storytelling To Emancipatory Knowing: Bearing Witness To The Resistance Of Black Women Leaders In Higher Education, Eboni Sterling

Dissertations

We, in the Black community, have preserved our existence and histories through storytelling. The blessing of stories passed from one generation to the next serves as survival signposts. Amidst this tradition, ongoing dominant narratives work to mischaracterize and dehumanize members of the Black community, specifically Black women. The unique and intersectional position of Black women leaders invites an onslaught of racial challenges in any sector. However, a complex relationship exists between Black women leaders in academia and the metanarratives manufactured by dominant groups. While often viewed as entertainment, the cultural practice of storytelling can incite empowerment and emancipation of the …

A Comparison Of First And Continuing-Generation Student Success And Engagement In An Online General Education English Course, Maya Scruggs Hicks, Tchule S. Moore

Dissertations

Online learning has become a significant part of the strategic plan to increase enrollment and college access (Crawley, 2012). Allen & Seaman (2013) noted that more than 65% of U.S. higher education institutions believe that online education is necessary to sustain and continue progress toward their strategic planning goals to increase enrollment. The purpose of this convergent mixed-methods study was to examine the difference between first-generation and continuing-generation undergraduate student engagement and success in a 100% online Jr. Level English course at a university located in the Midwest region. The researchers conducted independent samples (two-tailed) t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and one-way …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Student Loan Debt On Alumni Giving, Ashley N. Nickell, Molly B. Hurley

Dissertations

This study examined the effect of student loan debt on alumni’s willingness and ability to donate to their alma mater, including other identity-based motivating factors associated with an alumnus’ decision whether or not to donate. Participants of this study were recent (2015-2020) graduates of a doctoral program in the healthcare field in the Midwest, and were purposefully selected to answer questions regarding their income, loan debt, decision to give in monetary or non-monetary ways, and financial literacy education/financial preparedness. Data were gathered from virtual interviews that were transcribed and coded for emergent themes. The findings revealed that the majority of …

Becoming A Teacher: A Case Study On Student Teacher Professional Identity Construction During The Education Practicum In A Normal University In China, Jingxin Cheng, Xiaodi Li, Ming Yi

Dissertations

Previous studies have presented a clear link between teachers’ professional identity construction and teacher effectiveness and have considered the teacher professional identity as a pivotal factor to teachers’ effectiveness, decision-making about their career, commitment to the profession, as well as engagement in professional development (Beijaard et al., 2004; Day et al., 2005; Lasky, 2005; H. Y. Wang, 2020). Positive experiences in terms of teacher professional identity construction during education practicum holds potential to promote student teachers’ professional commitment, specifically, their belief in the value of the teaching profession (Hong, 2010; M. R. Zhao, 2013). This case study examined teacher professional …

Thriving In Student Affairs Professionals: An Exploration Of Supporting Constructs, Shawn Brodie, Phillip Campbell, Gretchen Day Fricke, Kawanna Leggett, Norris Manning

Dissertations

Student affairs professionals provide vital services to college students while also facing various challenges that impact their ability to thrive at work. This study examined overall thriving, its constructs and a set of predictors that impact thriving in student affairs professionals. Seligman’s (PERMA) theory of thriving provided the conceptual foundation for this study. Understanding the constructs that support thriving for student affairs professionals will help institutional leaders and professional organizations develop work environments and strategies that promote thriving. A global pandemic occurred during the time of this research, allowing exploration of how COVID-19 impacted thriving. This study also included variables …

Confronting And Dismantling Whiteness In Higher Education: A Grassroots Approach, Winnie Needham

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate how an Educational Studies department in a small, Midwestern liberal arts college might confront and dismantle whiteness in curricular, pedagogical, and policy choices. Utilizing a critical participatory action research design, five higher education faculty engaged in a critical conversation inquiry group (Schieble et al., 2020) to develop their critical literacy (Rogers and Mosley, 2014). This study was designed to answer the following questions: How do faculty within an Educational Studies department think about their racial identities and the relevance of racial identity to the program, the institution, and higher education? …

The Covid-19 Pivot To Online Education And Bsn Graduates’ Readiness To Practice, Abigail Schulte

Dissertations

There is a major nursing shortage worldwide, and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to invest in the acceleration of nursing education to meet global needs. Nursing schools had to pivot to online education overnight, and many are unsure how this has impacted students. The purpose of this study is to see if the pivot to online education, prompted by COVID-19, impacted the readiness to practice and grade point averages (GPA) of graduating Bachelor of Nursing students. In this quantitative study, a casual-comparative survey design is used to test for readiness to practice and program modality. A cross-sectional design …

Barriers To Post-Secondary Success, Douglas Swanson, Najeana Henderson, Maritza Sloan

Dissertations

This study reviews factors that prior studies have identified or failed to consider as barriers to post-secondary success. The three main areas include academic success for Latinx students after high school, organizational systems and their impact on African-American students’ postsecondary readiness, and what workers think of their high school education with regards to career preparedness.

Five factors are identified as major barriers for Latinx students to continue in a higher education system. A survey of former students from Saint Louis, Missouri, and Dallas, Texas, metroplex area identified 56 Latinx students that participated in an initial survey. This led to a …

Conceptualizations Of Teaching In The Higher Education Classroom, Molly Flavin Broere

Dissertations

The purpose of this multi-method study was to explore how faculty members, who teach at higher education institutions that deliver a liberal arts experience, view teaching and how those views inform their teaching practice. Teaching beliefs can feel like a messy construct (Pajares, 1992) but are important in determining what informs teaching practice. Pratt (1994) also explains beliefs inform conceptions of teaching practice. The conceptualizations of faculty, more specifically their teaching beliefs, were the focus of this study. Thus, this study investigated the following research questions: Given the context of a liberal arts institution, what are faculty members’ conceptualizations of …

Racial Battle Fatigue And Black Male Higher Education Administrators, Joshua Walehwa

Dissertations

Racial Battle Fatigue was first coined by Dr. William A. Smith as a theory describing the burnout of African Americans in higher education institutions. While much of the current research focuses on the faculty and student experiences, in various formats, this provides an autoethnography capturing the various phases of a Black Male higher education administrators experience with experiencing and coping through Racial Battle Fatigue. The belief behind this approach focuses on the value of storytelling and autoethnography in particular in research, the interconnected nature of life experiences that impact professional life as well as the reverse, and a call to …

Explaining Relationships Between Stress And Resilience In Pharmacy Students, Rebecca Jones

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Stress is a growing issue on college campuses, and students in a professional pharmacy program may be at an even greater risk for associated problems. The purpose of this study was to gain information about resilience and its relationship with stress, high-risk behaviors, and grade point averages (GPAs) in students who just completed their first professional (P1) year of a pharmacy program. The research questions for this study were: 1) What is the relationship between levels of stress and level of resilience in these pharmacy students, 2) What is the relationship between high-risk behaviors and level of resilience?, and …

Academic Honesty, Professional Integrity, And Undergraduate Engineering Students: Exploring The Connections, S. Amy Skyles, Jeffrey W. Jennings

Dissertations

One benefit of inculcating professionalism into engineering degree program curricula is a measure of the extent to which future practitioners adopt an engineering code of ethics (Abaté, 2011; Davis, 2006). Studies have indicated more dishonesty among engineering students than other groups of undergraduate learners, but the effects of technology on dishonesty in the classroom was not addressed (Bowers, 1964; McCabe et al., 2012). An explanatory, sequential mixed methods study was designed to explain to what degree course pedagogical practices and attitudes of civil, architectural and environmental engineering students of various academic levels (freshman/sophomore and senior) relate to academic dishonesty. The …

The Effect Of Union Affiliation On Salary For Female Community College Faculty, Kathleen Kanz White

Dissertations

There is a substantial pay disparity between the highest and lowest paid full-time community college faculty members, more so for women. Faculty unions, which are common at community colleges, are believed to increase pay equity, although research on unions is limited. This study provided evidence addressing gaps in the literature regarding the community college workforce and unionization in higher education. No previous research has been conducted at the community college level examining specific union affiliation and the role it plays in salary.

The purpose of the study was to examine salary variables for female community college faculty members employed in …

Fathers' Experiences With Their Premature Infants Or Unhealthy Neonates, Lisa Cummings

Dissertations

Author: Lisa Cummings PhD RN

Fathers’ Experiences with Their Premature Infants or Unhealthy Neonates

Purpose and Background/Significance: Fifteen million babies worldwide are born prematurely each year, impacting a multitude of fathers. The importance of an early close father-infant relationship has been identified as central for the development of the child. Fathers influence on a child’s emotional and cognitive development and their physical well-being and health. Many times, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is the initial contact environment between a father and his premature infant. Studies have shown that the NICU can be a stressful environment for parents, producing emotional …

Building Community In Online Faculty Development, Jennifer Mckanry

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine current best practices building community in online faculty development (FD). Ongoing participation in pedagogical FD is critical to teaching today due to changing technologies, pedagogical strategies, and increasing numbers of at-risk students. However, competing demands make prioritizing FD challenging. As a result, many institutions are implementing online asynchronous FD offerings. Little research exists on online offerings specifically for faculty with needs and motivations different from students. Particularly, it is important to look at social construction of knowledge through community in online asynchronous FD.

This study supplemented the scant literature by interviewing …

Understanding Chinese International Undergraduate Students’ Experiences At The University Of Missouri - St. Louis, Yujia Wang

Dissertations

This study examines the challenges and stressors Chinese international undergraduate students face while attending the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL) in relation to their study abroad experience. Surveys were initially used to gather information and to gauge students’ familiarity and use of university support services available to help with specific challenges and stressors. Follow-up interviews were conducted to collect additional in-depth data. As consistent with the literature review, the study found that UMSL students confronted language barriers, academic challenges, and cultural differences when transitioning to UMSL’s academic culture and social environment. Additionally, financial stresses were exacerbated by issues …

Resilience And College Persistence: Characterizing Students Who Have Failed Courses, Mary Merrifield

Dissertations

Students who fail a course early in their college careers are at risk of leaving college before completion of their programs. Little is known about this high-risk group and why some members of this group complete their programs while others do not. This research addressed this gap in the college-level persistence literature by focusing first on differences between completers and non-completers, then on differences between students who fail a course early in their college careers but become completers or non-completers. The goal was to understand the protective value of individual traits beyond the prediction of risk based on membership to …

An Analysis Of African-American Faculty Experiences During The Tenure Process, Katrina M. Hubbard

Dissertations

Abstract

How faculty allocate their time among research, teaching, and service, and the perceived quality of that work determines whether faculty obtain tenure or are released from the university (Bellas & Toutkoushian, 1999; Link, Swann, & Bozeman, 2008; Price & Cotten, 2006). Prior research indicated that African-American faculty comprised 4.5% of the faculty at high-activity research institutions and 3.5% of faculty at very-high-activity research institutions (The Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac 2016-2017, 2016).

The purpose of this study was to 1) document African-American faculty experiences during their tenure probationary period at PWI research institutions; 2) compare faculty experiences during the …

Experiences Of African American Women And Their Ascension To Senior Academic Leadership Positions In Higher Education Institutions, Jennifer Simms

Dissertations

Previous research has noted that African American women are absent in senior administrative positions in institutions of higher education. Few studies have provided detailed insight into the experiences of African American women during their transition to senior-level leadership roles in the academy. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to document the experiences of African American women during their ascension to senior academic leadership positions in higher education institutions. This research employed purposeful sampling and snowball sampling to recruit five African American women in Midwestern U.S. who ascended to a leadership role within the Office of Academic Affairs. This …

Pursuing The Professoriate: The Academic Career Development Of Black Female Doctoral Students At Predominantly White Institutions, Jennifer Culver

Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of Black female doctoral students enrolled in education doctoral program at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI). Using semi-structured interviews, the study investigated the academic career development of Black female doctoral students guided by four research questions: (a) What perceptions do Black female doctoral students have of an academic career? (b)What factors shape Black female doctoral students’ academic career perceptions during the doctoral process? (c) What are the academic career intentions of Black female doctoral students? and (d) What factors influence the development of Black female doctoral students’ academic career intentions during the doctoral process? …

Design And Evaluation Of A Course On Social And Emotional Learning And Classroom Management For Future Teachers In Colombia, Andrea Bustamante

Dissertations

Research has evidenced the importance of supporting future teachers so they are prepared to effectively model and foster prosocial attitudes and behaviors in their students. However, these aspects are often disregarded in teacher education programs. The purpose of this study was to address this gap by designing, implementing, and evaluating a course for future teachers in Colombia. The course intended to promote future teachers’ own social and emotional competencies (SEC) and well-being, as well as their classroom management knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs. It included three components: (1) development of SEC, (2) classroom management approaches and strategies, and (3) mindfulness …

Academic Supports Preferred By Academically Struggling African American Students At A Predominantly White University, Ellen E. Meadows, Joan H. Ruppert

Dissertations

Academic supports offered by Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) meet the needs of individuals who achieve standards such as high grade point averages and high standardized test scores, and who can negotiate traditional college institutions. Evidence indicates that retention and graduation rates for underrepresented minority students may be lower in comparison to White peers at the same institutions. Observations indicated that academic supports offered by a Midwestern PWI, may not provide the services preferred by African American students who struggle academically in two colleges, the College of Education and the College of Nursing.

A mixed-methods design was used to determine what …

An Inventory Of Selected Mentor And Protégé Motivational And Effectiveness Characteristics At The United States Air Force Academy (Usafa), David Huston

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the mentoring culture at USAFA in terms of selected mentor and protégé motivational and effectiveness characteristics of faculty and administrative personnel (referred to as permanent party members) (mentors) and cadets (protégés). Results offer evidence which support the presence of a somewhat healthy culture in that those who indicated they were currently mentoring cadets were more generative, altruistic, and wanted to mentor cadets more compared to those who indicated they were not mentoring cadets. However, those who were currently mentoring cadets did not necessarily possess better emotional intelligence compared to non-mentors. Also, cadets …