Education Commons^™

Teaching Science In Light Of World View: The Effect Of Contextualized Instruction On The Scientific Compatibility Of Religious College Students' World Views, Paula Rae Gossard

Dissertations

Authors of recent science reform documents promote the goal of scientific literacy for all Americans (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1989, 1993). Some students, however, feel apprehensive about learning science due to perceptions that science is antagonistic to their world views (Alters, 2005; Esbenshade, 1993). This study investigated the effect of an introductory science course taught in the context of a Christian, theistic world view on the scientific compatibility of religious college students' world views. For the purposes of this study, students' understanding of the nature of science, affective attitudes toward science, and beliefs regarding creation were used …

A Pilot Study Of Organizational Performance, Performance Barriers And Faculty Engagement In The Nursing Education Unit, Yolanda Chapman Turner

Dissertations

This pilot study was driven by the problem of market disequilibrium and the subsequent overarching desire to identify and describe principles and processes taken by nursing education units to optimize market equilibrium for nursing service in response to cyclical market demands. Given the complexities of market responsiveness in conjunction with changes in healthcare delivery, health economics, population demographics, higher education and other contextual factors, it is essential for nursing education as a whole to be in a position to respond to demand. The purpose of this study was to investigate organizational performance, performance barriers and faculty engagement in the nursing …

Determinants Of Resident Assistant Job Satisfaction In Privatized University Housing, Jennifer Lynn Casey

Dissertations

The general purpose of a residence life program is the improvement of the oncampus student experience in hopes of promoting personal growth, development, and education as well as bolstering retention rates and cultivating future alumni relationships. A residence life program can be found on most four year college and university campuses. Many colleges and universities facilitate their own residence life programs in whole or in part. Other colleges and universities outsource their residence life programs, in whole or in part, to what is called a privatized university housing company. The goals of a residence life program, be it facilitated by …

The Advanced Placement And International Baccalaureate Programs: The Graduates' Perspective, Shannon Saxby Smith

Dissertations

This study was designed to solicit the perspectives of AP and IB graduates who have completed at least one semester of postsecondary education about their experiences while in their respective programs. This study was also conducted to determine whether these IB graduates report that they were better prepared for postsecondary studies than students who participated in the AP program. The researcher was also able to determine whether AP and IB graduates believed they experienced any long-term benefits or detriments by having been in their programs and whether they believed their experiences were worthwhile. Lastly, the researcher was able to determine …

Source-Message-Receiver In Integrated Marketing Communication: A Study Of U.S. Institutional Advancement, Sharee Leblanc Broussard

Dissertations

Because integrated marketing communication (IMC) research has traditionally been problematic, this study used an existing scale to determine that higher educational institutional advancement (alumni, marketing-communications, development) is an appropriate venue to study the process model. Responses from practitioners representing every department within advancement, every regional accrediting body and each of the baccalaureate to doctoral Carnegie Classification levels indicated the IMC process model is both understood and its tenets practiced by practitioners at all sizes and levels of institution. The study was of interest to the practitioners as more than half of the respondents requested a copy of the results. Additionally, …

Perceived Effectiveness Of Hall Director Leadership Style On The Satisfaction Of Resident Assistants In Mississippi, Rheo Joelyn Avorice Morris

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain which leadership style correlates most with RA satisfaction in residence halls at three public universities in Mississippi. When satisfied, RAs will be more efficient in their roles and this will transfer to students residing in the halls. As a result more students in the residence halls will become more satisfied with their living environment and residence hall experience. Schroeder and Mable (1994) have stated that residence halls lack strong internal direction and a solution to this problem is to encourage the development of effective leadership skills! Instead of addressing the lack of …

Adult Student Satisfaction In An Accelerated Lpn-Rn Nursing Program, Kathy French Batton

Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the importance and degree of satisfaction placed by adult, nontraditional, accelerated LPN-RN students on student service item scales as measured by the results of the Noel-Levitz® Adult Student Priorities Survey™. In addition, the study examined the correlation between satisfaction with each of the scales and student success as measured by current nursing course grade point average (GPA). The student service scales of importance were: academic advising effectiveness, academic services, admissions and financial aid effectiveness, campus climate, instructional effectiveness, registration effectiveness, safety and security, and service excellence. The conceptual framework for the study was derived …

The Effects Of Reading Apprenticeship On Junior College Students' Metacognitive Awareness And Comprehension Of Academic Texts, Patti Rasberry Smith

Dissertations

This descriptive quantitative research study explored if a focus on Reading Apprenticeship strategies and routines in a college level composition class would affect students' metacognitive awareness and comprehension of academic text. Participants included 141 students from one junior college in a southeastern state. The 141 participants were enrolled by choice in six sections of composition taught by three instructors who had all received extensive training in implementing the Reading Apprenticeship framework in their classes. The participants were administered the Revised-Curriculum Embedded Reading Assessment (CERA) twice (pre and post intervention) during the fall semester of the 2008-2009 school year. Participants read …

Factors Influencing Nurse Faculty's Job Satisfaction And Intent To Stay, Sally Pulver Ruel

Dissertations

This study of nurse faculty examined the relationship of role conflict, role ambiguity, and work role balance, and their influence on job satisfaction and intent to stay in AACN nursing schools offering baccalaureate and higher degree programs within the United States. In light of the current nursing and nursing faculty shortage, this research was undertaken in an attempt to identify statistically significant predictors of job satisfaction and intent to stay in nursing education.

An online survey was conducted over seven weeks during the fall of 2008 and early spring 2009. A stratified random sample of each of the four regions …

Form Blindness Testing: Assessing The Ability To Perform Latent Print Examination By Traditional Versus Nontraditional Students, Dean James Bertram

Dissertations

This study examined form blindness testing as a predictor of latent print examination success among traditional and nontraditional college students. A correlational analysis of traditional versus nontraditional students was also assessed. Data were collected for two groups: trained and untrained. The untrained group (n = 167) consisted of students enrolled in courses within the field of forensic science at a university in the southeastern United States during the spring 2009 academic term. Students retained within the untrained group were those with no fingerprint training. The trained group (n = 160) consisted of students who completed a science of fingerprinting course …

Motivated By Money: Students With Academic Scholarships Versus Those Without And Their Emotional Intelligence, Elizabeth Marie Elbert Giroir

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the retention rate of students who had received academic scholarships versus students who had not received academic scholarships but met the qualifications to receive the scholarships and the effects of emotional intelligence on these students. The data collection mechanisms for this study included the student information system at The University of Southern Mississippi and the EQi: Short survey administered to students during the orientation week activities at The University of Southern Mississippi prior to the beginning of the fall 2004 semester. There were 667 students who participated in the EQi: Short survey …

Gender, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension And Science Reasoning As Predictors Of Science Achievement Among African-American Students At A Historical Black College Or University, Consuella Artiemese Davis

Dissertations

This study investigated predictors that influence the science achievement of African-American non-science majors in a Physical Science class. The population consisted of male and female college students enrolled in Physical Science courses at a historical black college or university (HBCU) located in the southeastern portion of the United States. A personal data information sheet was administered to 120 participants during the Fall of 2008. The personal data information sheet consisted of questions pertaining to the high school courses, students took in math, language arts and science. It also consisted of basic background information. Students also gave written consent for their …