Education Commons^™

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 …

Evaluating A Virtual Reality Simulation-Based Tool In Undergraduate Nursing Students For Impact On Accuracy, Clinical Judgment, Fear, And Self-Confidence When Donning, Doffing, And Disposing Of Personal Protective Equipment, Stacy Lynn Russell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Background: PPE training is essential to prevent transmission of infections or autoinoculation of infections among healthcare providers and patients. Student nurses play a vital role in infection control practices to protect themselves and patients from transmittable infections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an innovative teaching and learning strategy known as virtual reality simulation in teaching proper PPE use in comparison to more traditional learning.

Research Questions: This study aimed to answer three research questions: (1) What is the acceptability among faculty of using a head mounted VRS to train undergraduate nursing students in the proper …

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 …

The Action Is Listening: Undergraduate Women Of Color & Sense Of Belonging At Usd, Mayzong Lee

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

At the intersection of gender and race, women of color (WOC) often lack holistic support in navigating their undergraduate experience at the University of San Diego (USD). My purpose in this action research was to understand how Women of Color define, experience, and navigate their sense of academic, social, and cultural belonging at USD beyond the data. Consisting of three cycles, this research asked participants to define each sense of belonging followed by an individual interview to share how they have experienced their own definition of belonging at USD. The last cycle of this research was an opportunity for participants …

Comparing Effectiveness And Perceived Characteristics Of Active Learning Methods In Undergraduate Biology Education, Linda R. Pesciotta

Dissertations - ALL

Although many undergraduates begin college as STEM majors, attrition rates from the field are high and numerous reports suggest that evidence-based teaching methods are critical for retention. Despite educators' research and near consensus that active learning is more effective than lecture, there are many types of active learning and the literature indicates their effects are not equivalent. The purpose of the current study was to directly compare different kinds of active learning by assessing their correlation with student performance (including learning gains) and understanding students' perceptions of them (including whether they contained Merrill's five principles of instruction and/or met three …

Para La Comunidad: Centralizing Latinx Scholars At An Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution, Valerie Mora

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

This study highlights Latinx student experiences, through storytelling, to identify existing services and resources aiding Latinx academic success at the University of San Diego (USD), while also exploring what additional resources are needed to aid Latinx scholars’ belonging and mattering at a Catholic, predominantly White institution (PWI). Latinx student enrollment rates at colleges and universities have increased nationwide, leading institutions to consider the Hispanic -serving Institution (HSI) federal designation to gain access to discretionary grant opportunities. For HSI designation, institutions must have at least 25% of their student population categorized as Hispanic, and 50% of Hispanic students must be Pell …

Student Perceptions Of The Online Introductory Biology Laboratory Curriculum Using A Framework Of Vision And Change And Its Core Competencies, Erin Ulrich

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an Introductory Biology course at a private university was reformatted to an online format. To examine student perceptions of the effectiveness of the laboratory portion of the course, a researcher designed questions based on the Vision and Change core competencies and presented them to a representative sample of students in virtual interviews. The themes which emerged from the student responses were that students had positive views of their comfort level with the scientific method, the virtual laboratory synchronous format, worksheet activities, breakout rooms, and lessons with social relevance to college-aged students.

The Application Of Adult Learning And Development Theory In The Undergraduate Classroom, Jennifer Flewelling

Educational Studies Dissertations

Instructors in higher education may have a limited knowledge of ways adults learn and develop. That lack of theoretical understanding may have inhibited the pedagogical practice of faculty in the undergraduate classroom. The purpose of this study was to explore how university instructors described their understanding of adult learning and development in undergraduate settings, and to identify factors that influenced the design and implementation of instructional practice as reported by undergraduate faculty. The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design. An online survey collected quantitative and qualitative data from 95 university instructors in Northeastern Massachusetts. Follow-up interviews were …

Exploring Exploration; Unpacking The Journey To Declaring An Undergraduate Major, Kimberly Kristine Hughes

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

As an advisor for undeclared students, I see daily how anxieties around declaring a major, around getting a job after graduating, and around identifying a singular passion delay the process of finding an academic home for first years. This master’s thesis investigates undeclared students’ financial, social, personal, and familial motivations for choosing their major. It offers advice for how to find a major that aligns with these motivations, while also addressing key concerns such as time to degree, sustaining curiosity, and encouraging intellectual and creative development.

Drawing on secondary research, I will reflect upon three consistent themes: the importance of …

Lowering Perceived Stress Levels In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Caitlin Dodd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project analyzed the effects of guided meditations and a stress management class on undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students’ perceived stress levels. College students and professional nurses are both susceptible to having high stress levels. Mindfulness activities have been shown to lower stress levels. Undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students participated in this project determining the effects of guided meditations and a stress management class on perceived stress levels in a quantitative, pre- and postinterventional study. Participants in the project completed a stress management class and 18 guided meditation sessions in an undergraduate classroom setting. The researcher used the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) …

A Statistical Analysis Of The Unm Facets Design Identity & Beliefs Survey Data, Clarissa A. Sorensen-Unruh

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

The NSF-funded FACETS (Formation of Accomplished Chemical Engineers for Transforming Society, NSF Award 1623105) grant aims to transform the undergraduate engineering experience in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of New Mexico to address attrition within engineering majors, especially among underserved populations (Brainard & Carlin, 1998). The UNM FACETS Design Identity & Beliefs survey, an assessment tool used as part of the research of the grant, generated the dataset used in this study. I performed several different statistical analyses on the dataset, including confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis. The …

Identifying The Relationship Between Supplementary Educational Tools And Black Undergraduate Academic Performance, Joiliana Lecointe

Honors Theses

What is the relationship between supplementary educational tools and the success of undergraduate minority students of Black descent at Andrews University? About a third of all students who attend a private, non-profit, four-year college or university do not complete a degree in six years (Digest of Education Statistics, 2017). Andrews University is a Seventh-Day Adventist, private university, and thus is able to provide a greater quality of education as compared to public colleges and universities (Scholarships.com, 2020). This is reflected in higher six-year graduation rates of private universities, as well as higher grade point averages. Unfortunately, minorities, and specifically Black …

Choosing Information Systems As A Major: Factors That Influence Selection, Carole L. Shook

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine student perceptions of factors affecting the decision to select information systems as an undergraduate major. Additionally, information systems students were compared to other business students to see if significant differences existed between groups. The four factors studied included: (a) personal interest in the major, (b) student competence, (c) value and utility, and (d) external influences of other people and academic experiences.

A convenience sample was used at a public university in the Southeastern region of the United States. Two hundred junior/senior students were selected as participants. One hundred of the students were …

Examining Stem Undergraduate Persistence And The Differential Relationships Across Sex, Race, And Ethnicity Through Two-Factor Theory, Leo D. Pedraza

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study investigated the persistence of undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors through two-factor theory. Proxies for STEM persistence factors were used as hygiene and motivator factors, which were categories of two-factor theory originally conceptualized to understand workplace determinants that extrinsically and intrinsically motivate employees. A two-block entry model was used to test multinomial regression analysis with outcomes for persisting in STEM, degree incompletion, and changing to a non-STEM major. This study also examined differential relationships of motivator factors across sex, race, and ethnicity due to underrepresentation in STEM fields. Data for this study were extracted …

Engagement And Stem Degree Completion: An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Time-To-Completion And Engagement And Pre-College Variables, Karina (Harstad) Clennon

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This quantitative analysis explored measures influencing time to STEM-degree-completion in a correlational, non-experimental analysis of archival data (N = 745). FGCS represent a significant portion of individuals pursuing a post-secondary degree in the United States however, FGCS are less likely to persist to graduation as compared to their continuing-generation peers. FGCS are entering colleges and universities declaring STEM majors yet, are changing their major and or leaving college without a four-year degree (Chen, 2013). FGCS, who identify as female, face additional barriers, whether perceived or actual, in the pursuit of earning a STEM degree. FGCS choose to pursue STEM majors, …

Revoicing In Undergraduate Physics Education: A Case Study, Elizabeth Noël Olson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

When an instructor repeats or "revoices" the words or ideas that a student has just said, what is the instructor's goal? What results can this tactic bring? In order to lay the groundwork for a broader investigation of these questions, video recordings were viewed of one-on-one interviews of students populating a discussion-based modern physics-like course taken by non-physics science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at a medium-sized public university. This work focuses on a one particular interview which reveals several functions of this revoicing technique. For the interview in question, revoicing instances were identified and put into three inflection …

The Undergraduate In The “New Urban University”: Recognizing The Role Of Agency And Its Correlates In The Student’S Academic Life Story, Karen Galea

Dissertations

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2016), only 36% of first time college students enrolled at broad-access institutions graduate within six years, compared to 60% at all universities. The vital role of academic agency is universally accepted; however, debate remains over a shared definition. The purpose of this study is to determine which combination of non-academic attributes generate, grow, and support academic agency for undergraduate students at a broad-access, minority-serving “New Urban University.” Three questions are examined:

1. Which attributes define academic agency, and how do they relate to conceptually similar variables?
2. Assuming academic agency exists along a continuum over …

Implementation Of A Flipped Classroom In A Non-Majors’ Biology Course, Leah Good

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Changes to teaching practices have been requested in almost every field of science and mathematics but their implementation can be daunting. The flipped classroom has become a popular method in K-16 education for integrating active learning in the classroom. Research on the implementation of flipped classrooms has been met with mixed results, however. I sought to determine the effectiveness of the flipped classroom while addressing methodology needs cited by past studies including: using both faculty and student demographic variables, addressing assessment performance using concept inventories, and studying faculty who are not experts in education. I found that flipped and non-flipped …

Measuring The Perceived Effectiveness Of Five Selected Professional Courses Taken By Alumni Theology Majors And How They Are Related To Selective Demographics: A Mixed Methods Study, Barry J. Tryon

Dissertations

Problem

The study was prompted by the need for the evaluation of current theological educational programs for preparing students to meet the many challenges of pastoral ministry in a rapidly changing world. However, to date there has been little published research addressing the effectiveness of undergraduate theological education. Furthermore, changes implemented in the theological education program at Southern Adventist University (Southern) have not been evaluated for their effectiveness for ministerial job preparedness.

Method

This descriptive study measured the perceived effectiveness of five professional courses taught in the undergraduate theological educational program at Southern for ministerial job preparedness. A parallel mixed …

Mindset, Academic Motivation, And Academic Self-Efficacy As Correlates Of Academic Achievement Among Undergraduate Students In Communication Sciences And Disorders Programs, Heather Loraine Ferguson

Dissertations

Problem

Higher education serves many stakeholders including students, parents, faculty, staff, university administrators, and other contributors. Those stakeholders are all linked with one purpose: the success of the student. That success or failure is most commonly measured by achievement through grade point average (GPA). The academic demands within the college/university setting is high. Limited academic achievement can result in academic failure, being placed on academic probation, even losing scholarships and grants. Students enter college, progress through college, and often graduate without having a real understanding for what it truly takes to be academically successful and what factors may contribute to …

Understanding How Intentionally Unplugging From Cell Phones Shapes Interpersonal Relationships And The Undergraduate College Experience, Jadelin P. Felipe

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of what motivated college students—the Unplugged Students—to intentionally use their cell phones less and how they understood the impact that unplugging had on their interpersonal relationships and college experience. Nine undergraduate college students from four private schools were interviewed in one-on-one semi- structured interviews. These students, considered non-users, provided a particularly useful perspective as these students made a conscious choice to counteract social norms and experienced both being plugged in and unplugged. Cell phones and the act of unplugging proved to make up a complex and more nuanced topic than …

Profiles Of Academic Commitment, Anna Jill Womack

Dissertations

Tinto (1993) found that only 15-25% of students who dropped out of college did so due to academic failure, while the reasons for leaving among the remaining group of students who dropped out were unknown. This suggests that the majority of students who drop out of college are likely doing so for reasons other than academic struggles. Researchers have suggested that individuals who are committed to their major are more likely to obtain a bachelor’s degree (Bowling, Beehr, & Lepisto, 2006; Den Hartog & Belschak, 2007; Duffy, Dik, & Steger, 2011; Goulet & Singh, 2002; Landrum & Mulcock, 2007), indicating …

The Use Of Stress Reduction Techniques In Nursing Education, Jennifer S. Bauer

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Stress is a complex phenomenon that has significant effects on students which may disturb their physiological, psychological, and spiritual health and well-being. Nursing students have been identified to be at high risk for stress during their education. Stress can arise from new clinical experiences, academic load, and personal stressors (Jones & Johnston, 2006). This increase in stress can lead to the student’s inability to assimilate and learn within the classroom and clinical settings. A review of the literature provided evidence that reported a positive relationship between guided imagery and a decrease in stress and anxiety. This evidence-based practice (EBP) project …

From Script To Screen To Syllabus: The Path To Curriculum Design For Undergraduate Film Production Programs, Peter J. Muir

Dissertations

Nothing has impacted western society more than media. Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dali Lama, wrote that “film and television, newspapers, books and radio together have an influence over individuals that was unimagined a hundred years ago.” The responsibility of creating these cultural artifacts, particularly within motion picture production, is a delicate balance between artistic vision and craft-oriented vocation; the contemplative mind skills of a wise citizen with the functional hand skills of a tradesperson. Undergraduate film production education provides the best avenue for development of this duality. However, within these programs, little is known regarding how curriculum is fashioned and …

On The Fence Of Legitimacy : A Framework For Understanding And Assessing The Legitimacy Of New Academic Disciplines In U.S. Higher Education, Karin Diann Bump

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Legitimacy is a concept frequently employed but rarely discussed in more than vague terms (Suchman1995, Hybels 1994). Consequently, this research seeks to develop a clearer understanding of the ways new disciplines become established within a sociological framework of legitimacy. Two theoretical models are used in this study through an approach that melds key aspects of each; the presence of three levels (Suchman 1995) and six sources (Boulding 1971) of legitimacy. Unique to Boulding's model is the purposeful inclusion of internal views of legitimacy as most discussions of legitimacy focus on external views.

An Investigation Into The Factors Affecting The Retention And Achievement Of Computing Students Attending Institutes Of Technology In Ireland, (Volumes 1), Carol O Shea

Theses

This research is a longitudinal case study of a cohort of five hundred and seventy-eight students attending computing courses at seven Institutes of Technology in Ireland. The investigation charts the progress of this cohort of students throughout the four-year duration of their programme from the time they commenced their course in 2001 to their graduation in 2005. The central aim of this research is to investigate the factors contributing to the achievement and retention of these students as they progress through their course. Relationships and patterns of association between attainment on the course and students’ prior educational, socio-economic and demographic …

Patterns Of On-Campus Theft Victimization Among Undergraduate Students And Their Impact On Satisfaction At A Higher Education Institution, Giuseppe Michael Fazari

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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