Education Commons^™

Mobilizing Resources: Towards A Transnational Orientation In The Composition Classroom, Gitte Frandsen

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I present two studies on transnational, multilingual undergraduate students which focus on students’ rich, complex communication patterns across contexts. First, I examine the linguistic, literate, rhetorical, and cultural resources they deploy to make meaning across non-academic contexts as they take care of everyday tasks, navigate different linguistic and cultural landscapes, build relationships, and broker meaning for others. Next, I explore how the students mobilize their multiple resources and strategies to learn, write, and co-construct meaning with others in academic contexts. I discuss how these strategies are often constrained by English Only discourses and policies in the classroom …

An Examination Of Student’S Motivation To Learn In Higher Education: A Study Of Contributing Factors To Undergraduate Students’ Motivation, Aida Jafari

Theses and Dissertations

Motivation is a complicated concept and difficult to measure and study; nevertheless, it is a substantial factor in students’ performance that demands extra attention. Instructors across all grade levels and disciplines struggle to cultivate classroom environments that focus on student interactions and promote interest where high-quality work is produced (Middleton & Perks, 2014). Educators have been searching for new strategies to improve instruction and student learning, and they keep looking for new ways to increase student motivation (Middleton & Perks, 2014). Moreover, practical knowledge in the classroom depends on the instructor’s ability to stimulate the interest and motivation that brought …

Rowan University Undergraduate Residential Student Perceptions Of The Department Of Public Safety, Alexis M. Gross

Theses and Dissertations

This paper looks into the undergraduate residential student perceptions of the on-campus public safety department at Rowan University. The goal of this study is to analyze the following research questions: a) what the perceptions of the residential undergraduate students towards on-campus police departments at Rowan University are, b) how students' perceptions at Rowan University affect their desire to file reports when necessary, and c) what the recommendations for the on-campus police department are to improve their relationship with the campus community. The study utilized a survey sent through Qualtrics to 5180 undergraduate residential students in February 2022. There was a …

Undergraduate Students' Perceptions Of Their Experience With Financial Aid And Loans With Potential Solutions, Sheila J. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Since the cost of higher education is rising every year, some students will contact their financial aid office to inquire about their options to pay for school with loans and grants. However, financial aid administrators might not provide undergraduate students with useful information that will guide them to make informed decisions on loans because the financial aid administrators might lack training to help students. The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the undergraduate students' perceptions of their experiences with financial aid and student loans for Rowan university undergraduate students and the financial aid office using a non-experimental descriptive …

The Unspoken Audit: A Closer Look At The Impacts Of Financial Aid Verification, Heather J. Egan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine to what extent the undergraduate students from low socioeconomic and minoritized backgrounds are targeted by financial aid verification at Rowan University, as well as explore whether being selected for verification impacts students' cumulative grade point average (GPA) and first-year retention rate compared to students who are not selected. Analyses included frequencies and crosstabulations of the total undergraduate, degree/certificate-seeking student population (N = 15,976) and first-year, full-time student population enrolled for the Fall 2018 semester at Rowan University (N = 2,871). Results indicated minority students had a +12.7-percentage point gap to being …

Improving College Students’ Views And Beliefs Relative To Mathematics: A Systematic Literature Review Followed By A Multiple Case Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Experiences That Underpin Community College Students’ Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, And Values In Mathematics, Marquita H. Sea

Theses and Dissertations

Mathematics is particularly important due to its relevance in our daily lives. It is a general requirement throughout schooling. Unfortunately, many students openly declare negative views/beliefs regarding math in their personal and academic lives. These in turn, negatively influence students’ achievement related behaviors and outcomes. First, a systematic literature review was conducted to determine what types of studies/initiatives have aimed to enhance students’ views/beliefs relative to mathematics, including domain general and specific perceptions of math as well as their judgements of who is successful in mathematics and if they themselves can be successful. Specifically, the review centered on the components …

A Case Study: Increasing The Persistence And Graduation Rates Of Undergraduate Black Female College Students At A Predominantly White Institution, Catrina Smith-Edmond

Theses and Dissertations

Since 1954, Black females were presented with the opportunity to earn an education equivalent to non-Black females. Despite the challenges, Black females have made significant strides in their academic performance by attaining degrees at every level over the years.

The purpose of the study is to explore factors that affected the retention and graduation rates of Black female undergraduate students enrolled at a Predominantly White Institution. The researcher will conduct an exploratory single-case study to explore Black female undergraduate students' barriers to retention during their college experience. The sample included 10 Black female undergraduate students and three staff members from …

Reconsidering Undergraduate Anatomy And Physiology Curriculum, Eric Michael Walsh

Theses and Dissertations

In the past 50 years several convergent factors have spurred unprecedented change in anatomy and physiology (A&P) instruction. An explosion of biomedical knowledge, an increased demand for students well-versed in A&P, and decreased resources for the course has provoked a vast array of research. However, most studies employ one of three strategies to enact change: testing the effectiveness of new pedagogies, exploring the utility of new technologies, or documenting learning in new contexts. By comparison, a much smaller body of research focuses on changing the A&P curriculum to improve student learning. To address this gap, the musculoskeletal curriculum for an …

The Role Of Teaching Presence On Academic Achievement In Fully Online Asynchronous And Hybrid Undergraduate Mathematics Courses, Shaghayegh Azadi Setayesh

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate how mathematics student perceptions of teaching presence differ by course delivery mode and student achievement. Online learning has had a steady growth in higher education, and mathematics courses are also offered in fully online and hybrid modes, but the research on online mathematics learning and academic achievement is limited. In order to contribute to the body of research in this field, the focus of this study was on teaching presence and academic achievement in two delivery modes: fully online asynchronous, and hybrid.

The Community of Inquiry was the theoretical framework of this study, where …

Pre -Service And Novice Teacher Perceptions Of Behavior Management Preparation And Practice In Physical Education, Shane Turpen

Theses and Dissertations

If students are not engaged, they cannot be learning (Stright & Supplee, 2002). Student engagement relies heavily on the environment of a classroom, as well as the management of behaviors before and during a lesson (Him & Scott, 2014). Student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. (George Lucas Educational, 2011 In many cases, a lack of student engagement can be attributed to a discrepancy in behavior management competence …

Longitudinal Course Of Eating Disorder Risk Among Undergraduate Females At Brigham Young University, Erin Blue Winters

Theses and Dissertations

This research study examined the prevalence rates and longitudinal course of eating disorder risk among undergraduate females at BYU, and compared the identified prevalence rates at BYU with identified rates at other colleges and universities. Almost 2,000 undergraduate females, in three cohort groups, filled out the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) once a semester for four to eight semesters. Clinical cut-off scores were used to determine what percentage of participants were at high risk for eating disordered behaviors and symptomology. Overall eating disorder risk prevalence rates at BYU ranged from 9-11%. These rates were significantly lower than identified rates at other …