Education Commons^™

International Students: Culture Shock And Adaptation To The U.S. Culture, Stefanie Theresia Baier

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Annually thousands of international students attend US colleges and universities which requires them to adjust to a new environment, often accompanied by a culture shock experience.

This study analyzes to what degree cultural background, gender differences, language proficiency, self-confidence/self-efficacy, and social support networks impact the adjustment process of international students to the US culture.

Forty-five international students attending a Michigan community college were surveyed and interviewed to assess the relationship among self-confidence/self-efficacy, cultural background, gender and social support networks. Western students reported more positive cultural adjustment (M=29.0) than non-western students (M=29.0). Males adjusted better (M …

The Catcher In The Rye: A Teaching Unit, Audrey Michelle Farrugia

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The main goal of this unit is for students to critically think about the novel and the world around them. This unit is built on students responding to and exploring elements within the novel. With each discussion and experience, simply have the students write. The culmination of all their writing placed and bound together will create a journal.

As the students read, they are to highlight quotes they wish to discuss or respond to. This will allow the students to critically think about and process what they have read. It also teaches students how to pick out important concepts within …

The Impending Retirements Of Community College Presidents: A Higher Education Leadership Crisis, Katrina Vanderwoude

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore and examine the phenomenon of the small pool of qualified and interested candidates to replace retiring community college presidents and senior level officers and to learn if or how organizational changes and leadership during the growth and expansion of the community college system have impacted or contributed to this phenomenon.

The unit of analysis for the study was a public community college in Southeastern Michigan (the pseudonym of SMCC was assigned). SMCC provided the environmental setting for the researcher to observe, record, and interact with the system being examined. SMCC was used …

Student Perceptions And Performance In The First Year Of A Mixed Physical Therapy Curriculum, Barbara J. Hoogenboom

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Physical Therapy (PT) is a dynamic health profession. There is a compelling need to educate physical therapists to become self-directed, lifelong learners capable of thinking critically. Mixed-design curricula utilize various teaching methods to instruct students in a variety of knowledge areas, psychomotor skills, and cognitive constructs, such as problem-solving, reflection, and critical thinking (CT).

Purpose: To describe outcomes for PT students enrolled in the first year of the mixed design curriculum at Grand Valley State University (GVSU). Outcomes included the development of self-directed learning (SDL) and CT, as well as student-described satisfaction with and perceptions of the first year …

Assessment Of The Nature And Extent Of Bullying Among Students At An Urban School: Strategies For The Reduction And Prevention Of Bullying, Michele Snow Coyne

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Change And Persistence In An Independent Nonprofit College: A Case Study, John Selmon

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Private independent nonprofit colleges and universities serve millions of students annually, yet very little is written about this group. Most of the literature and research concern large public institutions of higher learning. Davenport College, a private independent nonprofit college system in Michigan and northern Indiana, serving 15,000 students, was the focus of the case study that offers a historical view of how the college evolved and changed over the institution’s 134-year history. The study highlights the influence of the five leaders and significant environmental events that that led to change and persistence in Davenport College from its inception on January …

Superintendent Evaluation And Other Influences On The School Board And Superintendent Relationship: Measuring Strength Of Relationship, Sara A. Duvall

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

As schools in the United States resegregate and federal antipoverty programs lapse, the achievement gap widens once again. What can educational leaders do on their own to reverse this trend in the face of increased state and federal mandates, decreasing school funding, and community resistance to change? The purpose of this study was to determine the relative effects of factors (evaluation, conflict, political climate, superintendent influence, teaching & learning style, board training, and overall Strength of Relationship) that influence the board and superintendent relationship and to use these data to suggest strategies to support substantive change. A unique survey questionnaire …

Differentiating Biology Homework To Enhance Academic Achievement, Genevieve Finch Bertsos

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to determine if differentiating homework for biology will motivate students to complete and turn in homework, address the needs of diverse learners, and improve academic achievement. The rationale assumes there is a positive relationship between homework completion and academic achievement and that students have different learning styles that can be addressed by allowing choice of homework assignment based on Gardner’s multiple intelligences and Bloom’s taxonomy.

The research employs an experimental design composed of a control group (consisting of two classes) that received the traditional homework, and an experimental group (two classes) that was offered …