Education Commons^™

The Role Of Active Student Responding In Higher-Education Classrooms, Ryan P. Singley

Honors Theses

Active student responding (ASR) is a collection of common teaching strategies used by educators that are recognized to increase the accomplishments and opportunities of students in a variety of ways. Previous research has assessed the role of active student responding in kindergarten through high school classrooms; however, no comprehensive literature review has assessed the effectiveness of ASR with post-secondary education classrooms (i.e., undergraduate and graduate students). This review assessed the effectiveness of four active student responding systems (e.g., guided notes, student response systems, response cards, and choral responding) on activity grade, test scores, class grade, grade point average, and student …

Mental Health Education In Higher Education, Chelsea J. Farley

Culminating Experience Projects

This project dives into the current mental health status of college students and what institutions are doing to address students steady and continuous decline of mental health. Mental Health 101: A Comprehensive Guide for Faculty incorporates suggestions from literature and theory to provide resources to faculty members when educating students. Mental Health 101 was created with the social-ecological model in mind (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) by connecting the individual student to their environment, or in this case, the college classroom. The guide consists of information about mental health such as risk factors and warning signs, coping strategies, activities, and assignments faculty members …

Increasing College Students Awareness Of Technologies Impacts In Their Daily Lives, Melissa Gutierrez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many college students today may spend an excessive amount of time on technology. Excessive technology may leave an impact on their mental and physical health leading to poor eating habits or obesity, anxiety and can even have an impact on their academics. When college students learn about how to manage their technology use, it is likely they will focus more on the negative impacts to benefit their health and wellbeing. To address the overuse of technology, I created a one-day workshop for Theta Alpha Sigma sorority college students at Cal State Monterey Bay.

An Examination Of The Influence Of Ethnic Identity, Spirituality, And Social Support As Predictors Of Resilience Among Black Male College Graduates Born In The United States, Sandy Belizaire

Dissertations

Problem

This study aimed to assess the influence of ethnic identity, spirituality, and social support on resilience among Black males (BM) who were born in the United States of America and are recent college graduates. The achievement gap between BM and their counterparts is among education's most infuriating problems. Educators are more likely to dissuade Black men from going to college, and those who enroll drop out before they graduate (Noguera 2003; Wilborn 2013).

Method

This study employed a non-experimental, quantitative correlation research design using self-report questionnaires. The target population for this study was American-born Black males who were graduates …

Food Insecurity Among College Students: Perception Of College Administrators, Ibiyemi Adesanya

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

While food insecurity among college students has existed for decades, only in recent years has the focus on the impact of food insecurity on student success emerged. However, most of the research has been quantitative, conducted at public two-year and four-year colleges and focused on predictors, prevalence, and impact of food insecurity among college students. Although prior student-based research has been beneficial to understand the problem, there is inconsistency in how institutions and higher education professionals address this issue with their students.

A transcendental phenomenological single case study design was used in this study to explore the lived experience …

Pathways To Success For African American Students At Predominately White Institutions: A Qualitative Study Exploring Academic Readiness, Jeffery Jackson

Dissertations

African American students’ completion of post-secondary education is among the lowest of any other subgroup in higher education (Banks & Dohy, 2019; Broom, 2018; Carter- Francique et al., 2015; Cokley et al., 2016; Dulabaum, 2016; Karkouti, 2016; Moragne-Patterson & Barnett, 2017; Strayhorn, 2017). This study focuses on addressing this problem by exploring the academic and social experiences of African American college students who persisted at a regional predominantly White institution (PWI) in the Midwest and secure information that can be used to improve their graduation rates.

To address this issue, this study is designed to explore initiatives and practices that …

Generation Z : Who Are They And What Do They Expect From Student Affairs On Campus?, Mary Elizabeth Wake

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This quantitative study aimed to expand upon existing research, which discussed student expectations, the relationship between expectations and retention, persistence, and student success, as well as why understanding student expectations is important to supporting student success. This research study explored these concepts from a lens of Generational Theory, which includes the notion that each generation has differing values, experiences of life events and motivational factors. Effective delivery of services, which can aid student success and retention, is enhanced when professionals within student affairs are able to appreciate students as individuals, as well as who they are as a generational cohort. …

Persistence Without Resistance: An Exploration Of First-Generation College Students In A Structured Support Program, Naima K. Ricks

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

First-generation college students make up one-third of the undergraduate population of college students in the United States. It is essential to understand all aspects of a first-generation student, their desire to persist in college, and their experiences while in college. Once they are enrolled in college, first-generation students will need additional help and support to guide them throughout this life-changing experience. This study explored the experiences of 13 students enrolled in a program that is specifically designed for supporting first-generation college students academically and socially.

The study used a narrative qualitative research approach. The participants were interviewed to explore their …

The “New” Normal: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On College Student Sense Of Belonging, Hunter Swanson

Dissertations, 2020-current

This mixed-methods study used the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) model to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college student sense of belonging. The purpose of this study was to explore how environmental changes related to the disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may have altered students’ sense of belonging to their institution. The results revealed a strong relationship between the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) engagement indicators and sense of belonging. Furthermore, the results suggest that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic altered how students experienced the CECE indicators. The implications for change leaders in higher education …

Perceptions Of Classrooms Physical Environments And Nature On College Students, Benjamin Williams

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

The purpose of this study is to discover how students are affected by the physical environment they learn in and if the restorative benefits of nature adds to the positive experience of learning. The physical environment or the classroom, can complement the learning experience alongside with the curriculum that is being taught, but the physical environment is often overlooked. This study asks how students perceive the physical environment of college classrooms, if they see it affecting their classroom learning, and if students perceive the elements of nature to affect classroom learning. A convergent parallel mixed methods approach is used to …

Addressing First-Generation College Students’ Gap In Financial Literacy Through The First-Year Seminar, Mary G. Wright

Culminating Experience Projects

There is a gap in the financial literacy of first-generation college students. Research on first-generation college students and their unique barriers to financial resources, financial literacy, financial aid, and first-year seminars is reviewed. Research indicates that higher education funding, first-generation students’ intersecting identities, and the unique barriers related to their identities impact first-generation college students’ ability to succeed in higher education. A first-year seminar is proposed with financial literacy topics threaded throughout the entirety of the course and a financial literacy unit to address the gap in financial literacy. First-generation college students graduate at disproportionately low rates in comparison to …

Invisible, Yet Criminal: Best Practices For Supporting Student Sex Workers Throughout Higher Education, Anthony Alan Ruegsegger

Culminating Experience Projects

While it is not new information that college students may engage in sex work throughout their academic careers, it still remains a somewhat taboo topic throughout academia and higher education in the United States. Student sex workers face institutional and societal barriers typically associated with minoritized identities, and post-secondary institutions rarely have resources in place to support these students. This project aims to help bridge this gap by utilizing the polymorphous paradigm and an anti-savior lens to create a list of best practices for higher education faculty, staff, and administrators to better support students that are engaging in sex work. …

Utilization And Effect Of Multiple Content Modalities In Online Higher Education: Shifting Trajectories Toward Success Through Universal Design For Learning, Catherine A. Manly

Doctoral Dissertations

The idea that offering multiple means of representing course content will assist students of all abilities constitutes one pillar of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework intended to address needs of students with disabilities while also holding relevance for all students. The efficacy of this UDL guideline lacks a verified empirical basis and therefore merits rigorous examination. My dissertation investigates the effect on learning outcomes of students using multiple modalities while learning course content (e.g., text, video, audio, interactive, or mixed content), targeting improving educational success for non-traditional online students. I investigate this effect for older undergraduates from a …

Yoga, Stress, And College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study, Lori Klein

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

College students have experienced exponential increases in stress and mental health concerns that continued to rise during the global coronavirus pandemic. Yoga is a popular, well-regarded method for improving psychological wellbeing, and this study explored how students’ perceived stress improved during a semester-long introductory yoga course upon returning to in-person instruction after a period of remote learning as a result of coronavirus restrictions. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method design to first measure perceived stress scores and then compare this data to student-reports of wellbeing. College students (n = 121) enrolled in 8 sections of Yoga 1 completed …

Perceptions Of Well-Being Among College Majors, Baylee Jahraus

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research was to assess the well-being perceptions of selected college students at a midsize midwestern university. To collect data, an adaptation of the Open Science Framework’s (n.d) College Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire and the CDC’s (2018b) Health-related Quality of Life scale was used. The 26-item survey was distributed to junior and senior students enrolled in 300-400 level courses in a variety of majors. The findings for each research question are presented in the cross-sectional study. The results of the study indicate there are differences in perceptions of physical and mental health between males and females and …

Does Mattering Matter? : An Analysis Of Mattering And Persistence Rates Of Eop And Non-Eop Students, Glenn David Pichardo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The multitude of benefits of college student retention for individuals, higher education institutions as well as our society has caused many researchers, administrators and policy makers to examine the causes of college student attrition as well as interventions that can potentially increase the success of students in post-secondary education. This study expands upon previous research on college student retention by utilizing Nancy Schlossberg’s theory of mattering and marginality as a lens to understand the retention of college students (Schlossberg, 1989). Based on Rosenburg and McCullough’s (1981) seminal work on mattering, Schlossberg (1989) developed a theory of mattering and marginality. Mattering, …

Lolita In The Contemporary American Classroom: Pedagogical And Learning Approaches, Jasmine Revels

Master’s Theses and Projects

The purpose of this study is to discover effective collegiate-level teaching and learning strategies for Vladimir Nabokov’s 1958 novel Lolita in the midst of the current American political and social climate. Some of the factors of the current political and social climate in the United States thought to have an effect on the teaching of Lolita, and were thus considered for further inquiry, were cancel culture, the Me Too Movement, and trigger warnings. Primary research was collected from college students and English college professors. To obtain this research and the opinions of respondents regarding this topic, a combination of both …

Cape Verdean Students’ Perceptions Of Their English Language Preparation For Higher Education In The Us, Fàbio Wilson Teixeira Varela

Master’s Theses and Projects

Students from distinct parts of the world are learning English as a foreign language with multiple goals including job opportunities, education and so on. More importantly, many of them study English with the goal of pursuing their higher education in a foreign country, and the US is one of the main destinations. Studies have revealed that one of the problems international students face in their academic life has to do with language, specifically academic language. In this study, the researcher examined the retrospective perceptions of Cape Verdean students pursuing their studies at US universities towards their language instruction in Cape …

Cultivating Resilience In Lgbtq+ College Students Through Mindfulness-Based Practices, Luke A. Madden

Culminating Experience Projects

Research shows LGBTQ+ college students experience lower mental and emotional well-being than their heterosexual, cisgender peers despite growing social acceptance. Research also indicates these disparities result from excess stress LGBTQ+ individuals experience due to the stigmatization of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Yet, LGBTQ+ college students continue to show up as their authentic selves in various campus settings, demonstrating a sense of resilience in the face of adversity that is characteristic of the broader LGBTQ+ community. As the number of students seeking or utilizing campus mental health resources increases, it is critical to provide vulnerable populations with resources and …

The Meaning In The Message: Impact And Implications Of University Presidential Statements Regarding Sexual Assault, Nicole Christine Kides

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to critically analyze university presidential statements made regarding sexual assault on campus and how those statements might impact campus culture. Through critical content analysis, manifest content and latent content were examined. The results explain that while the statements made are satisfactory and making a statement is better than not doing so, the statements are vague and indistinct. In order for the statements to have more meaning and impact, it is clear that messaging needs to be more specific to each individual institution, and be more critical, using unique language so the campus community can feel seen, understood, …

The Influence Of Martial Arts On The Quality Of Life Of College Students, Benjamin Harris

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Students come to college in order to attain a degree that allows them to improve their quality of life (QOL) after graduating (Morris, 2017). However, the stressors associated with attending, including anxiety depression (Beiter et al., 2014), insomnia, and headaches (Caldwell et al., 2017), negatively impact their ability to be successful. It is then necessary for higher education institutions to address those issues by exploring and creating opportunities that can improve student QOL. The objective of this study is to understand the health-related experiences of students enrolled in a university martial arts club during college.

This qualitative case study is …

How Can I Help? Investigating The Role Of Social Supports In Academic Resilience For Undergraduate Students, Grace M. Lady

Senior Theses

Academic resilience refers to a student’s ability to emotionally and cognitively adapt to academic adversity, including transitions to new experiences like college. This ability to bounce back is an important characteristic for academic success (Robbins et al., 2018; Hodge et al., 2017). Within the literature, there is a need to understand more interpersonal influences, such as social support, on resilience. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate what social support students rely on and how students use social support through times of academic difficulty, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to college. Undergraduate students (N = 189) completed a …

Academic Stress Examination And Its Sources Among Saudi Students In The United States, Nawaf Alshammari

Online Theses and Dissertations

Academic stress has been identified as one of the major concerns in current academic circles. Academic stress is an example of mental distress associated with anticipation or awareness of academic failure and/or the result of being in a given educational facility or pursuing academic work. Academic stress is a major concern because its effects are pervasive and have serious consequences. Research has shown that mental disorders, physical challenges, substance abuse and high rates of drop-outs are attributed to academic stress. Research has shown that the level of academic stress is highest amongst university students in general and international students in …

Making Meaning In The Margins: Identities, Belonging, And Social Justice Commitments In A Cross-Race Intergroup Dialogue For Queer And Trans College Students, Nina M. Tissi-Gassoway

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative research study used constructivist grounded theory methods to explore the lived experiences of 11 queer and trans undergraduate college students of various racial and ethnic backgrounds in a cross-race intergroup dialogue (IGD) course. Using document analysis of course assignments and post-dialogue semi-structured interviews allowed for rich inquiry into how these queer and trans students made meaning of their intersecting identities, sense of belonging, cross-race relationships, and social justice commitments. This study contributes new knowledge about the meaning-making processes of queer and trans college students of various racial and ethnic backgrounds and the role that IGD plays in supporting …

Transformative Learning And The Power Of Experience Contextualized In Tertiary-Level Study Abroad, Colleen M. Kolb

Educational Foundations & Leadership Master’s Level Projects/Papers

The study abroad experience for many students is ineffable by nature. Teasing this apart and understanding how to maximize student learning abroad can lead to more enriched and potentially transformative experiences. There is little training offered to faculty and administrators at most American institutions about how to integrate study abroad learning into the wider higher education curriculum before, during, and after a global experience. By utilizing transformative learning theory (TLT) and experiential learning theory (ELT), this thesis provides a space for thought to conceptualize study abroad as a fully integrated part of the college curriculum that enhances the learner experience …

Determinants Of Student Information Technology Adoption, Hans P. Vanderschaaf

Dissertations and Theses

Innovating service delivery in higher education is central to supporting institutional and societal goals of increasing the numbers of college graduates and for transforming higher education institutions to center on the needs of today's students. Within this context, technology plays a critical role. This research seeks to contribute to institutional, academic and educational technology sector efforts to dramatically enhance service quality, in support of improving undergraduate student outcomes (student success), by identifying the determinants of student information technology adoption and removing barriers to accessing higher education.

Using a mixed-methods and empirical approach based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and …

A Case Study On Alternative Spring Break: Supporting Black Women At An Hbcu, Aeryel Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a college-based travel program in which students spend their traditional spring break vacation traveling to a new domestic or international city to complete a service-learning project such as community restoration in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. As a result of participating in Alternative Spring Break, students gain invaluable experiences and transferable skills that can be applied to their academic and career goals. In this dissertation, the specific transferable skill explored is emotional intelligence.

The purpose of this dissertation is to illuminate the lived experiences of Black women who have participated in a college-based travel program …

An Inquiry Into Developing College Student Socially-Responsible Leadership: Ethics Of Justice And Care In The Midst Of Conflict And Controversy, Jill Frances Childress

Dissertations and Theses

Colleges not only educate students in academic discipline knowledge, but also help them develop skills to meaningfully lead and participate in our complex democracy as socially responsible citizens. All campuses have formal and informal opportunities to engage students in roles that challenge and develop students' socially responsible leadership skills including commitment, common purpose, and collaboration. However, individual and organizational elements such as differences in perspectives and hostile climates can quell leadership and educational participation, inhibit critical student development skills, and result in disempowerment, especially for those students from underserved communities. Given this, a critical question is how can colleges foster …

The Impact Of Wellness Training On Resilience, Depression, And Anxiety In College Age Students, Jamie S. Myrtle

Ed.D. Dissertations

Data suggests that mental health disorders in college students are increasing. University personnel seek to help students better manage their mental health through access to campus counseling centers. Slow enrollment growth has placed pressure on university budgets making it difficult to fully fund counseling centers. Therefore, university personnel seek cost-effective interventions to meet the need. Increasing resilience has shown promise in reducing the overall impact of depression and anxiety. The purpose of the current study was to explore the impact of wellness training on resilience, depression, and anxiety to determine the effectiveness of the intervention in improving resilience and reducing …

Investigating The Intersections Of Interpersonal Violence: Identifying Risk And Protective Factors For Hazing, Kayla E. Goodwin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Building on the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s initiative to investigate the links between multiple forms of violence, this study used a “review-of-reviews” qualitative approach, a form of meta-analysis, to illuminate the intersections of sexual violence and hazing. Data were analyzed to uncover the risk and protective factors for hazing. These findings were then compared to the risk and protective factors for sexual violence to investigate any intersections, broadening the research about the intersecting forms of interpersonal violence. Eleven risk factors for hazing were identified, four of which intersect with previously identified risk factors for sexual …