Education Commons^™

How Much Do You Care About Education? Exploring Fluctuations Of Public Interest In Education Issues Among Top National Priorities In The U.S., Dana Nehoran

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

It is well known that a strong education system produces citizens who are more engaged in civil and social duties, with obvious benefits to society and the individuals. Policymakers who have the power to help improve the education system frequently rely on the news or the polls to better understand the issues involved, but these tools are often unable to answer customized questions on the public view with a large enough coverage.

Monitoring the American public interest in education over the years is not new. In fact, a number of national polling agencies have tracked education as part of their …

The Evaluation Of Positive Intervention Strategies On Chronic Absenteeism At The High School Level, Marla Clayton Johnson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

There is an abundance of research on chronic absenteeism as well as the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) approach, specifically the element of positive behavior intervention strategies (PBIS), at the elementary school level. A clear understanding of MTSS and PBIS at the high school level and how those approaches may impact chronic absenteeism of high school students is lacking in the recent research. The literature review provided the reader with an overview on PBIS and chronic absenteeism through the theoretical lens of Cooper’s (1982) Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) theory and explained the influence that PBIS has on chronic absenteeism at …

The Experience Of The Local Control Accountability Plan, Angela Carter Pascual

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In 2013 the California Legislation passed a new K-12 School accountability mandate.

The Local Control Accountability Plan was sought to increase the educational equity for targeted student groups in addition to allowing school districts to mine a diverse set of local school data to develop goals in the 8 priority areas that speak to the needs of their local students. A requirement of the LCAP was that school districts include a diverse set of stakeholders to work in a collaborative manner to develop, critique, and refine local goals. Stakeholder groups are required to consist of district-level administrators, teachers, staff, students, …

Personality Characteristics Of Dental Students In Kuwait University Associated With Preferred Teaching Methods, Dalal Hasan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study examined personality characteristics of dental students at Faculty of Dentistry at Kuwait University and investigated the relationships between personality characteristics of these students and their preferred teaching methods. In order to assess personality characteristics, The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) was used. For teaching method categorization Grasha’s (2002) classification was used. This research builds knowledge about personality traits as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory® of dental students in Kuwait. Further, it adds knowledge about teaching methods preferred by dental students. Two surveys, the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator® Form M and a brief learning preference for teaching methodology survey, …

The Importance Of Administrative Support For Special Education Teachers, Shari E. Lujan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Since the inception of special education laws in the 1970’s, special education teachers have been given the responsibility of educating children with exceptional needs. Those needs range from children with mild to moderate disabilities to children with moderate to severe disabilities. There are 13 categories that a child can qualify for special education services through an Individual Education Program (IEP). The majority of children with exceptional needs are educated on general education campuses. With high stakes testing and the push for academic excellence, one may wonder how a child with exceptional needs fits into a general education campus. The Education …

Caregiving For A Child With Multiple Disabilities: A Mother's Story, Shana Cole

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Multiple disabilities does not just affect the individual, it affects caregivers as well. Once a child and parent receives the diagnosis of multiple disabilities they find themselves in a new territory, a new mindset. This study is a longitudinal autoethnographic personal narrative of a mother of a child with multiple disabilities using an intimate inquiry framework. Intimate inquiry allowed me as the researcher to explore my experiences as a reflection of the culture of caregivers of children with multiple disabilities. The purpose of this research was to attempt to understand what it means to raise a child with multiple disabilities …

Higher Education Organizational Structure, Quality Assurance Practice, And Teaching And Learning In Arts Disciplines, David M. Chase

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of higher education organizational structure and institutional quality assurance practices to and the culture of teaching and learning in artistic disciplines from the perspectives of three artist-educators. The research questions addressed by this study are as follows:

1. How do participants view the relationship of the organizational structure of their institution to the provision of quality assurance practices in their disciplines?

2. What barriers, if any, do participants perceive about the implementation of effective quality assurance practice and policy, and if barriers are perceived, why do they occur?

3. What …

Rising Above The Adobe Ceiling: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Mentoring And Social Capital Influences Among California Latina Nonprofit Leaders, Belinda Hernandez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Empirical research studies that focus on the experiences of Latinas in executive leadership are limited. In its entirety, workforce research has overlooked how social and cultural experiences influence this group’s leadership development. This gap in research has failed to uplift the Latina executive voice and their achievements. Addressing this gap has the potential to influence distinctive workforce practices and future scholarship. Utilizing an asset-based perspective, this study presents counter narratives that intentionally focus on exploring Latina leaders’ voices. The importance of intersectional experience and social identities illustrate non-monolithic, yet aligned, experiences among study participants.

This foundational dissertation explored mentoring phenomena …

Exploring The Impact Of A Corequisite Model On Academic Performance In Precalculus: Who Benefits When?, Savita Bhagi

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

With AB 705 being enforced in all California community colleges since Fall 2019, colleges have devised corequisite courses in almost all English and mathematics gateway courses. Some quantitative and qualitative studies have shown positive results of corequisite courses in English, and some math courses such as statistics, but there is limited quantitative research on the effects of the corequisite model on student academic performance in STEM math courses, like college algebra and precalculus. Many mathematics department faculty members believe that the corequisite model, especially in STEM math courses, may not work in community colleges due to the population consisting of …

Facilitating Collaborative Supervision In A University Speech-Language Pathology Clinic, Benjamin K. Reece

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Clinical education is a key element of graduate school training in the field of speech-language pathology. Graduate students are required to obtain 375 supervised clinical practice hours in order to earn their provisional license and begin their career. Supervision of clinical hours is most often provided by experienced speech-language pathologists with minimal, if any, training in effective supervision practices.

Within the field of speech-language pathology, Anderson’s Continuum of Supervision (Anderson, 1988) is the most widely accepted model and provides a structure and sequence for supervisors to follow in order to facilitate the clinical development of their student clinician. Anderson’s model …

An Exploration Of Contributing Factors Of Student Fitness Employee Job Satisfaction In Campus Recreation, John Davenport

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored what factors contributed to a student employee’s satisfaction with their job in the fitness sector of campus recreation. Campus recreation programs offer many on-campus jobs for students, with a focus on student development and community. Despite much research being done on job satisfaction, there is a noticeable gap when it comes to job satisfaction in campus recreation fitness. Findings from nine semi-structured phone interviews across three universities in California, Louisiana, and Mississippi have yielded three main elements: people, job qualities, and rewards. First, the findings indicated that supervisors, teammates, and patrons are the people that contribute …

The Effects Of The Work Environment On California Community College Counselors' Professional Self-Care, Tina Dang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Healthy work environments are critical in fostering occupational self-care for helping professionals, but information on the self-care and the work environment is limited among community college counselors in California. Self-care is essential for the counseling profession in California community colleges (CCC), as it promotes wellness, which is needed in order to provide optimal services to students/clients. The lack of self-care results in counselor impairment, leading to undesirable factors (i.e., burnout, health conditions, and decrease in productivity). In educational institutions, counselors often find it difficult to maintain their own self-care. However, work environments have been shown to affect self-care at work …

Chicanas Completing The Doctorate In Education: Providing Consejos De La Mesa De Poder, Sandra J. Castañón-Ramirez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study described four testimonios from Chicanas who have successfully completed a doctorate in education degree, both Ph.D. and Ed.D. The literature reviewed three important areas of study. The first is a review of the systemic challenges that Chicanas must hurdle; cheap labor, segregation of schools and neighborhoods, being silenced through English-only education, and deficit thinking. The second area of review focused on ways that Chicanas create strategies for success to overcome these challenges. The third was a review of the theoretical literature through a distinctly and relevant Chicana feminist lens.

Chicanas’ strategies for success were collected as testimonios. …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Teaching Of Climate Change, Daniel Diego

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which educators address climate change and the impacts of human activity on the environment in conjunction with the Next Generation Science Standards. This study utilized qualitative methods, a phenomenological methodology informed by Moustakas, and a Systems Theory and Ecojustice Education conceptual framework. The central research questions was: in what ways do educators who are implementing the Next Generation Science Standards address climate change and the impacts of human activity on the environment? The supporting research questions were: in what ways do educators who are implementing the Next Generation Science …

The Relationship Between Mentoring And Instructional Leadership Effectiveness: Gender Differences Between School Site Leaders, Kristina Britton

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Less than 25% of superintendent positions, the highest level of educational leadership, are occupied by women. This is in sharp contrast to the fact that over 75% of the nation’s teaching force are women. A significant barrier cited in the literature is that there is a deficiency in the support needed for women to successfully promote into higher-level administrative positions. Although mentoring has been shown to be key factor for female administrators’ success in educational administration, this study provides quantitative data to demonstrate the need for quality mentoring opportunities for school site administrators.The purpose of this research study was to …

Influences On Doctor Of Education Students Who Have Completed All Program Requirements But Dissertation, Christopher Page

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the influences on Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) students who have completed all required coursework for their degree, but have not finished their dissertation, in an effort to identify factors influencing degree completion. Past research documents an increased time-to-degree (TTD) for Ed.D. students, which has a negative impact on K-12 and higher education, as well as on business, government, and society. This study examined Ed.D. students enrolled at a private teaching college in northern California by use of a survey built upon the framework of Bean’s nine themes of college student retention. It analyzed demographic indicators as well …

Connections: Social Media And Parents Raising Children With Profound Multiple Disabilities, Amy Ann Terra

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Parenting plays an important role in many adult lives. Parenting a child with profound multiple disabilities results in a distinct parenting experience. This qualitative phenomenological study examined the role of social media in the lives of parents raising children with profound multiple disabilities. Five parents raising children with profound multiple disabilities were interviewed, and resulting themes were identified.

Consistent with previous research, parents described the initial adaptation to their child’s disability-related needs as the most challenging period of their parenting to date. Adaptation was followed by an acclimation to a new normal of their parenting experience. Parents described moving from …

A Journey Of Determination And Hope: Returning To High School After Dropping Out, Ernest Garcia

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study explored the reasons and attitudes of people who dropped out of high school and then later returned to complete their high school educations. In order to gather data for this study, interviews were conducted with eleven students who returned to complete their high school education after having earlier dropped out. An analysis was completed regarding the reasons that led those high school students to drop out of high school, and of the motivations and struggles that led them back to school.

Individuals who return to high school and earn a high school credential avail themselves of additional …

Understanding The Experiences Of Underemployed First-Generation Hmong Graduates, Mong Vang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Underemployment has a rich and lengthy body of literature spanning across multiple disciplines, such as economics, business, psychology, and sociology. Past scholars studying the phenomenon have provided a framework for understanding underemployment and have identified the harm it has on organizations and individuals. Although underemployment is not a new phenomenon, gaps are present in understanding how it affects first-generation, Hmong graduates. This study provides a framework for bridging this gap. As such, this study answered three questions related to how underemployed, first-generation, Hmong college graduates describe their experience finding adequate employment after graduation, perceive the relationship between their personal upbringing …

What's Next? Improving An Out-Of-School-Time Program For Social-Emotional Learning In An Elementary School, Karen Marie Sarafian

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Today’s elementary school students face myriad traumatic issues including poverty, violence, physical and emotional abuse, homelessness, and parental substance abuse. These adverse childhood experiences are responsible for an increased risk of academic failure and behavioral problems in childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs, provided through school and community partnerships, attempt to address these needs in both school-based and out-of-school-time (OST) learning settings. The purpose of this action research study was to examine one northern California-based nonprofit organization’s OST SEL program for third through fifth grade students and determine actions and interventions for greater program effectiveness.

Students, parent/guardians, …

The Evaluation Of Schools To College And Career (S2c) Readiness Program For Middle School Student, Sima D. Gandhi

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

There is a lack of research on what it means to be college and career ready at the middle school level, and this creates confusion for students when they enter high school and must select courses that are aligned with their college and career goals. This study sought to understand how the Schools to College and Career (S2C) Readiness Program impacts middle school students at the charter school. In order to understand this impact, the study looked at how the S2C Readiness Program relates to students’ understanding and awareness of CCR at the school.

Using a quantitative approach this study …

Innovation Within Regulations: Gaining Insight On Cultivating Employee-Led Innovation In California Public-Sector Organizations, Rebecca N. Franklin

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The inquiry concerned gaining insights into environmental elements needed within California public-sector organizations to increase employees’ willingness to share innovative ideas. Although research exists regarding the need for service innovation and employees as fruitful sources of innovative ideas, there have been limited studies concerning public-sector organizations and the best method to solicit employee ideas. The data collection for this qualitative research study consisted of a series of interviews with front-line, non-supervisory civil servants. The results provide insights and information on how public-sector organizations may foster a culture that promotes and encourages employee-led innovation. The themes that emerged were (a) transparency …

Charter Schools’ Accountability: A Program Evaluation Of The Charter Oversight Unit Of The California Department Of Education, Chaddrick L. Owes

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a qualitative-based program evaluation that explored the existing charter school accountability measures, processes, and oversight systems of the California Department of Education (CDE) in relation to State Board of Education (SBE)-authorized charter schools. This dissertation further explored the potential program improvements that could be implemented to improve the charter school oversight functions of the SBE and CDE. After a charter school receives authorization and approval to operate, the degrees of accountably and oversight vary dependent upon the charter authorizer and the oversite entity. This dissertation study aimed to discover how charter schools authorized by the SBE are …

Peer-Reporting Of Academic Dishonesty In Classroom And Online Examinations: Prevalence, Experiences, Perceptions, And Beliefs Of Pharmacy Students, Myo-Kyoung Kim

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate pharmacy students’ experiences, perceptions, and beliefs regarding peer-reporting of academic dishonesty by adopting a cross-sectional anonymous survey to pharmacy students in the United States. In addition, this study identified factors that may affect pharmacy students’ likelihood of reporting peers’ academic dishonesty including the relationship between the cheater and their observer, the severity of the punishment on the reported cheating, and the reporting systems. Fifty-six out of 271 respondents (20.7%) reported their engagement of academic dishonesty. One hundred forty-four respondents (53.1%) reported that they directly observed someone else’s cheating behavior. One hundred eighty-nine …

Instructional Decision-Making For Students In Community-Based Transition Programs, Rachel Knoepfle

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Per the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities are eligible to receive transition services beyond twelfth grade, if they have not met the requirements for a high school diploma. There is not a formal model for how transition services should be implemented and there a number of factors in play when considering instruction for students in transition classrooms. Thus, the following questions arise: what does teaching and learning look like in such a classroom? How do teachers of CBT programs explain and understand their curriculum decision-making processes?

This study employed the methods …

Factors Influencing Alumni Giving Of First-Generation Hispanic Women, R. Scott Biedermann

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Alumni giving has become a vital revenue source for colleges and universities in the United States. For private universities, alumni support is integral to the institution’s growth and sustainability. As a result, there is a growing body of research on the factors that influence alumni giving in order for fundraising professionals to identify potential donors. This study aimed to enhance this body of research by examining first-generation, low-income, alumni giving from Hispanic women from a California Private University’s (CPU) Neighborhood Engagement Program (NEP). NEP is a need-based scholarship program for underserved students from CPU’s host city. The purpose of the …

Designing Leadership: Using Design Thinking To Create, Practices, And Implement A Formal Leadership Development Program, Jon Samuel Wedding

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine what happens when design thinking is used to create a leadership development program, increase leadership competencies, and participants perceptions of design thinking. This study uses action research to examine the experiences and design thinking to create a leadership program in a formal hierarchical. This study collected data during a two-cycle action research process. The findings from this study revealed that design thinking can be used to create a formal leadership development program. The ability to use design thinking’s human centered design can also help increase the leadership competencies of trust and collaborations. …

Moving Quickly: One Student’S Reflections On The Value Of Secondary Accelerated Learning Programs, Rachel Marie West

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this interpretive biography was to understand how college graduates perceive their experiences in secondary (high school) accelerated learning programs and the impact of that participation on their continued education. This inquiry was guided by the overarching question: What are college graduates’ perceptions and understandings of their experiences in secondary accelerated programs? Using a postmodern philosophy to review the empirical materials, this interpretive biography focused on the lived experience of a college graduate who participated in an accelerated secondary program and focuses on her reflections after graduating from a four-year university. The study finds that generally, secondary accelerated …

Picture The Magic: Exploring Black Girl Identity Using Photovoice, Leha Anaya Hawkins

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Using a youth-led participatory action inquiry and photovoice methodology, this study investigated the self-perceptions of Black girls in a suburban area of Northern California. The objective of the project was to explore the perspectives and lives of Black girls. It is through gained insight from their lived experiences that we can come to understand their needs and develop approaches to advance their own holistic empowerment. By gathering self-perceptions of Black girls using photovoice, the project aimed to inform youth workers, educators, and youth-serving organizations such as Magic Black Girls Leadership Institute (MBG) on how to meet the needs and cultivate …

Using Community Cultural Wealth Narratives Of Low-Income High School Students In A Rural Northern California Community, Rene Rodriguez Malamed

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the experiences of white, low-income high school students completing their senior year in a rural community and earning their diplomas. The purpose of the study was to examine participants’ stories during high school using a community cultural wealth framework and narrative methodological approach. Results showed that students utilized capitals such as social, moral, familial and resistant in their small communities. Multiple capitals interacted and influenced each other as rural youth draw on these for support.