Education Commons^™

Educator Perceptions Regarding Quality Workplace Professional Development, Darrel Chris Rink

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study, Educator Perceptions Regarding Quality Workplace Professional Development, attempted to formulate through interviews and surveys the attitudes of educators regarding their personal experiences with professional development. The study was based on Donald Super's Career Development Theory, Jack Mezirow's Transformational Learning Theory, and David Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory. These three theorists help form the conceptual foundation for the study.

One of the challenges the United States has had within the past fifty years is that workers were not being adequately prepared for the workplace during their school years or after. Super, Mezirow, and Kolb helped to identify stages of growth …

Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy: Examining The Effects Of Career Choice, Education, And Work Experience Of Entrepreneurs, Melissa W. Sisco

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research on the relationship between self-efficacy and career decision making is inconclusive because of the lack of theoretical background and causal conclusions. More research is needed to investigate how the educational background, career choice, and work experience, of entrepreneurs, influences their career decision-making self-efficacy beliefs and how those beliefs effect their decision to become entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent career choice, education, and work experience related to the level of career decision-making self-efficacy among participants in the Ventureprise business incubation program who are or are intending to become entrepreneurs. The education and …

Examining Employees' Perceptions Of Energy Conservation Behaviors In Office Settings, Michele Belmont Halsell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The estimates for potential energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in office buildings are significant. Reports show that energy wasting behavior in office buildings such as computers being left on at night and on weekends result in billions of dollars lost annually and GHG's being emitted needlessly. The estimated potential for energy savings ranges from 20 to 50 percent. Despite the potential for significant energy savings, a review of the literature revealed that there are relatively few studies of energy conservation interventions in office buildings. Most of the research on energy conservation has been done in households. There is agreement …

Why Don't They Give Back: Alumni Giving At Two Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Jasmine A. Pope

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the literature, HBCU alumni non-donors were perceived to possess the opposite characteristics of alumni that do give financially. In order to further examine the lack of alumni giving at HBCUs, this study evaluated previously identified characteristics of HBCU alumni that choose not to financially support their alma maters. The purpose of this study was to examine how income, student experience, religious charitable giving, alumni perceptions, and alumni engagement, relate to alumni giving at HBCUs. An explanatory correlational design was used to address the research questions posed in this study. The 4,500 person sample, which consisted of donors and non-donors, …

Strategic Planning Tool Development Using Portfolio Decision Analysis, Luis B. Vargas Rojas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A portfolio decision analysis strategic planning tool was developed for the Facilities Management Office at the University of Arkansas. The tool provides information to support budget allocation decisions based on their Strategic Planning Project List, project attributes (e.g, seat utilization, scheduling preferences, and sustainability rank), and budget constraints. The projects are evaluated using multiobjective decision analysis. We introduce dynamic value functions, which vary the range of the value measures based on the planning horizon, to evaluate the projects). We determine facilities portfolios based on the project values and constraints using Linear Programming. In addition, insightful reports are generated, which provide …

Educational Effects Of State Actions Banning Access To In-State Resident Tuition Rates For Unauthorized Immigrant Students, Luis Alexander Villarraga Orjuela

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research studies the effects of state laws banning access to in-state resident tuition (ISRT) rates and other educational benefits for unauthorized immigrant students (UIS) in five states: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, and Ohio. It measures the overall effect of policies denying ISRT that were implemented between 2005-2012 in the United States.

Three potential effects are evaluated. First, the study estimates the policy effects on the college enrollment of UIS. Because the policy does not deny access to higher education institutions, the possibility exists for this population to attend public or private colleges. However, facing higher costs (i.e., out-of-state tuition) …

The Role Of Higher Education In Rural Community Development, Anita Faye Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions commonly play a role in community development. Rural communities may be even more dependent on the university's investment. As higher education has looked to meet demands of stakeholders calling for greater accountability, it has become necessary for universities to be able to justify the effectiveness of these efforts. The purpose of this study was to determine the elements necessary for successful rural community development in Western Oklahoma. Utilizing the Delphi research method, 20 community development experts in rural Western Oklahoma participated in the three-round survey process. In the initial survey, participants collectively submitted a list of 41 …

"We Can't Reclaim What We Don't Understand": Teachers' Perceptions Of Advocacy And Voice In A Rural Institute Of The National Writing Project, James Anthony Anderson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines teachers' perceptions of advocacy and voice in a summer institute of the National Writing Project. The Rural Advocacy Institute, a first-time initiative through the Northwest Arkansas Writing Project, offered three weeks of professional development centered on rural education and teaching English language arts in rural public schools. The study is a grounded theory study; grounded theory forces the researcher to stay "close to the data," compare data sets, and use reflective writing to identify conceptual categories in the data. Data collection in the study included semi-structured interviews with six K-12 teachers participating in the Institute and twenty-seven …

The Effects Of Book Format On Parent-Child Interaction During Joint Book Reading, Jennifer Lynn Bowman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Technology is a part of our society and is ever changing. Therefore, it is important to examine the effects that such innovations have on parent-child interactions, especially those that have been shown to promote children's early literacy learning and future school success. This study was conducted in the context of a larger project, The Family Reading Project, which investigated parent-child engagement in joint reading activities using mobile devices. This research compared parent and child behaviors when reading traditional books versus reading e-books to determine if book format had any effect on parent-child interaction. The results of this study were that …

The Perceived Benefits Of Automotive Service Excellence (Ase) Certifications For Graduates Of Four-Year Automotive Technology Programs, John Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The roots of certification in America date back to guild-like associations similar to those in Europe, but did not gain industry recognition until after World War II. It is recognized as a way for an industry to elevate itself and be recognized as a stand-alone, autonomous profession, as long as there is validity in the process and impartial oversight by an accredited governing body. It is also a way for individuals to distinguish themselves from their peers by proving a technical aptitude or competence. It allows a prospective job candidate to signal to a potential employer that they have attained …

Incarcerating Exceptional Pupils: Is There A School-To-Prison Pipeline In Eastern Oklahoma?, Brett Alan Fitzgerald

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The school-to-prison pipeline metaphor represents an educational environment that allows public schools to push many at-risk children out of school and into the juvenile justice system or even worse, the adult criminal justice system (Wald and Losen, 2003; Lynn, 2010; Tuzzolo and Hewitt, 2006). The purpose of this study is to examine whether a school-to-prison pipeline exists in eastern Oklahoma, and if so, to better understand the characteristics of the public schools that may be contributing to it. The school-to-prison pipeline metaphor guided three research questions regarding whether certain public schools in eastern Oklahoma referred greater percentages of their students, …

The Utility Of The Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire In Identifying Stably Peer-Victimized Children, Freddie Aníbal Pastrana Rivera

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I evaluated the utility of using the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ) in identifying stably peer-victimized children. Participants were 676 fourth grade students from 37 classrooms in ten public schools. Stable peer victims were identified as children who met elevated levels of peer victimization at both fall and late spring assessments from at least one source (i.e., self, peer, teacher). Four potential screeners using the OBVQ were evaluated. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify how well a recommended cutoff point from the global item of the OBVQ (i.e., being bullied 2 or 3 times a month) identified stable victims. Additional …

An Analysis Of Professional Adult Education Programs In Northwest Arkansas, Skyler Leigh Barry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Professional adult education (PAE) has been described as structured educational activities that are designed or intended to support the continuing development of professional or career skills, knowledge, competencies, and abilities. Previous research has shown that professional adult education is a vehicle for adult learners to continue their education and gain valuable skills which can aide in career mobility. Given the importance of professional adult education as it relates to further development of adult learners, the purpose for conducting this study was to develop a profile of professional adult education providers and programming offered in Northwest Arkansas. In order to develop …

A Wellness Profile Of Student-Veterans At 4-Year Higher Education Institutions: The Role Of Gender, Combat Tours, And Deployment, William Monroe Heath

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Afghanistan and Iraq war student-veterans have increased in population on college campuses in the United States (U.S.) as a result of using the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Healthy Campus 2020 (American College Health Association, 2012) highlighted the importance of college student wellbeing, health promotion and disease prevention, while the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs has called for an approach to services that is strength based (United States Department of Veteran Affairs, 2008). To date, however, wellness studies conducted on Iraq and Afghanistan student-veterans using an evidenced-based model of holistic wellness have not been conducted. This study was designed to address …

State Funding Decision-Making For Higher Education Institutions During Capital Campaigns, Everrett Alexander Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Public higher education has experienced a decline in state funding in real dollars. This has created financial challenges for many students and their families, as well as institutions.

Tax revenue has decreased as a result of the economic recession, causing state leaders to reprioritize their fiscal responsibilities. Higher education has been viewed as a discretionary expense in competition with other state programs, so funding can, and often, does vary. Colleges and universities use alternative financial resources, most notably private fundraising, to meet their goals. The study was conducted to identify college leaders' perceptions of state funding during their institution's mega-capital …

Cash On The Table? A Behavioral Analysis Of Refund Claimants And Annuitants In The Illinois Teachers' Retirement System, Martin F. Lueken

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation documents pension benefit choices made by public school teachers enrolled in the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System (TRS), where they choose between taking a lump-sum withdrawal of their refundable contributions and deferring a pension benefit. The analysis explores the extent to which vested teachers enrolled in TRS separate from service with positive pension wealth, estimates how much money is "left on the table" at a conventional discount rate, and investigates what types of teachers display higher or lower discount rates as indicated by cashout patterns. To control for the relative attractiveness between choices, the analysis relies on three central …

Improving Adjunct Nursing Instructors' Knowledge Of Student Assessment In Clinical Courses, Kelly Vowell Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Utilization of adjunct nursing instructors to teach clinical courses is a common occurrence in nursing programs. Adjunct clinical instructors are often expert clinicians, but they have limited experience in teaching and lack the expertise needed to be successful in the educator role, such as knowledge of student assessment. Faculty development programs that focus on student assessment can provide adjunct clinical faculty members with the necessary knowledge to become effective educators and ensure student, faculty, and program success.

The purpose of this study was to examine to what extent a faculty development workshop on evaluating students in clinical courses affected adjunct …

Access Barriers To Higher Education For Rural Community College Students, Shanda Carter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for conducting the study was to examine factors related to rural low-income, first generation college students' obstacles to community college enrollment. The study examined barriers students overcame to attend college and focused on rural college students from two community colleges in Missouri and Arkansas. The following questions guided the research:

1.What attendance barriers did rural community college students identify as being most difficult for them to overcome?

2.Were there differences between the self-identified attendance barriers based on gender for male and female rural community college students?

3.Were there differences in attendance barriers for rural community college students based …

A Christian Value?: Faculty Diversity At Southern Evangelical Campuses, Marquita Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored institutional efforts to increase faculty diversity at three southern Christian universities and provided descriptions of what promoted or curtailed faculty diversity at those institutions. Daryl G. Smith's (2009) dimensions of diversity were used to evaluate the role of institutional missions, and how they were connected to diversity efforts. Smith's 2009 conceptual framework offered four areas for studying diversity: access and success, institutional vitality and viability, education and scholarship, and intergroup relations and campus climate. A qualitative multiple or collective case study design was used. The sample included 20 total participants; 19 from the three case institutions and …

Writing Apprehension Of Black Students At A Private Historically Black Four Year Liberal Arts Institution, John Wesley Mcallister

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of writing apprehension among first generation students at a Private Historically Black Institution. Participants were 103 college students from the central region of Arkansas at a Private Historically Black Institution of which 103 students responded to the survey completely. All of the respondents were administered the survey in four different sections of the freshman seminar courses. The survey consisted of a demographic section and the Writing Apprehension Test. The writing apprehension test was created by Daly and Miller (1975) to determine an individual's level of writing apprehension. Student's views, opinions …

Transitioning To Writing About Writing: A Consideration Of The Metawriting Teaching Approach At The University Of Arkansas, Katie Michelle Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses case studies of six Teaching Assistants and Instructors to analyze the curricular and pedagogical shift from a writing-through-literature model to the Composition II course to a metawriting approach during the 2014 spring semester at the University of Arkansas. The administrative decision from the Program in Rhetoric and Composition to make this transition came in response to the 2007 article by Elizabeth Wardle and Douglas Downs in College Composition and Communication outlining a "Writing about Writing" approach to teaching composition.

Millennial Alumni Perceptions Of Communications Media Utilized By The Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences, Amanda Nicole Anthony

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alumni relationship cultivation serves as the foundation of higher education and must be maintained to keep graduates and alma maters connected. To evaluate the success of communications media in reaching recent graduates, classified as Millennials, this study sought to determine Millennial alumni perceptions of media distributed by the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences (Bumpers College) from 2012 through 2014. Assessed communications media included The Graduate and AR Culture magazines, The Graduate e-newsletter, tailgate and mocktail party invitations, College website, and social media presences. Active and inactive Millennial alumni (N = 20) responses were gathered through …

Recruitment, Retention, Job Satisfaction Of Nurse Educators In Arkansas, Peggy B. Lee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Facing a crucial shortage of nurses and nurse educators, administrators of colleges and universities need to explore employment and individual characteristics that are related to recruitment and retention of nurse educators. Adding to the nurse and nurse educator shortage is the concern that the population of the United States is aging which creates a growing demand for more RNs. A further issue that complicates the nurse and nurse educator shortage is that nursing education is not producing enough RNs. Schools of nursing are positioned to have to prepare more new nurse graduates over the next decade in an effort to …

Exploring Community College Faculty Involvement In Assessment Of Student Learning, Leann Sellers Caudle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This narrative research study was conducted to explore the experiences of full-time community college faculty members involved in assessment of student learning beyond the course level. The participants in this study were employed at public two-year institutions of higher education regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission that had been recognized for their work in assessment. All participants in the study were involved in program or institutional level assessment during the time of the study. The central research question this study addressed was: What factors influenced community college faculty members to become involved with assessment of student learning beyond the …

The Role Of Trustees In A Capital Campaign At A Public Research University, Marcia Lynn Overby

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The changing financial environment of public universities includes competing priorities for state funding. In today's economy, state appropriations for higher education do not always keep pace with institutional need. During periods of declining state revenue, universities endure budget cuts reducing state funding. When tuition dollars cannot be increased further and state appropriations are decreased or flat, public university administrators rely on fundraising to meet their mission, goals, and vision for their institutions. The fundraising program believed to produce the greatest results is a capital campaign. Large and ambitious capital campaigns can help institutions of higher education respond to decreases in …

Academic Clustering Of Student-Athletes: A Case Study Of Football And Basketball Programs, Matthew Brett Rowland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the topic of academic clustering within the football and men's and women's basketball teams at the University of Arkansas. Given the prominence of collegiate sport in America, this paper examines a relatively understudied topic regarding student-athletes and education. Using a mixed methods approach, the topic of academic clustering is analyzed statistically, as well as through in-depth interviews with student-athletes and academic advisors in the athletic department. Statistical analysis shows significant over- and under-representation of student-athletes in certain University colleges (e.g., Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, Walton College of Business, and College of Engineering), the presence of …

Evaluating The Effects Of The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery On College Participation, Noah Aaron Pittman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, lottery scholarship programs have become a popular policy program for states that wish to help students afford higher education without having to raise new taxes. Through a statewide lottery, profits from the program are passed onto college students in the form of merit-based scholarships. Even with strong opposition from opponents who questioned how much a lottery would benefit the entire population of the state, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery was created via voter referendum in 2008.

A key goal of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery was to increase college participation, especially among underrepresented students. The study therefore sought to …

New Bsn Nurse Informatics Competencies: Perceptions Of Academic Preparedness For Practice, Teri Montgomery Boyd

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One rapidly expanding nursing program at a public research university in the mid-south region of the United States served as the site for this study. Recent nurse graduates were selected in a purposeful sampling from alumni who had conferred degrees from May 2007 through May 2013. Sixty-three graduates completed the online survey in Phase I and five recent graduates participated in semi-structured interviews during Phase II of the study. Data were collected utilizing a mixed methods design. Descriptive statistics explained survey and interview results. Of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs), attitude competencies reported the highest means and were very …

Male Privilege, Sexual Double Standard, And Sexual Scripts: College Students' Perceptions And Influences Of Hooking Up, Mary Ellen Hunt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Approximately three-fourths of young adults in college hook up at least once by their senior year (i.e., engage in a casual sexual encounter outside the context of a committed relationship). There are important gender differences which may inform how men and women conceptualize hooking up. Men and women may have different predictors of interest, expectations of sex, or attitudes toward sex. These gender differences are likely culturally constructed by the sexual double standard and traditional sexual scripts which project men to be the aggressive sexual initiators who want sex all the time, and women to be passive gatekeepers who desire …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Student Oriented Learning Outlines (Solos) In An Equine Classroom, Kathleen S. Jogan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study determined if the use of the student oriented learning outline (SOLO) in a University of Arkansas equine production classroom had a positive influence in three areas: mastery of material taught, retention of material taught and voluntary positive student behaviors related to the use of course material. Thirty-one students who were enrolled in 2012 were in the non-SOLO group (control), and 25 students who were enrolled in 2013 were the SOLO group (treatment). Three separate units were taught to the treatment and control groups with only one difference: the treatment group was given a SOLO one week in advance …