Pivotal Moments In Undergraduate Education: Retention And Student Connection To Campus, Katie Sikora

Masters Theses

Using qualitative methodology the researcher studied what pivotal moments keep students connected to their institution. The researcher conducted five one-on-one interviews with students of varying backgrounds and involvements and found that participants experienced pivotal moments while attending their mid-sized, mid-western, public university. Participants described pivotal moments through helping others, working towards their future goals, and experiencing leadership opportunities that caused them to grow as a student. Family pressure, people on campus, and having more opportunities in college contributed to the pivotal moments that students experienced. Specifically, this mid-sized, mid-western institution's mentors, faculty members, and the close-knit feeling of campus contributed …

“I’M Not Good At Math”: Mathematical Illiteracy And Innummeracy In The United States, G. Wesley Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Why do we view mathematics the way we do in the United States and how have these views created an environment where we consider mathematical illiteracy and innumeracy socially and culturally acceptable when a lack of this knowledge and ability can function to enslave, exploit, restrict, and oppress. Throughout this investigation, I have explored some of the possible reasons for why we view education, mathematics, and the learning of mathematics the way we do and the impact of these views on our motivation and desire to learn mathematics. Using my over 20 years of teaching experience and the review of …

Producing A College Graduate Using Retention, Progression, And Graduation (Rpg) Initiatives: A University Systems’ Approach, Deborah N. Kittrell-Mikell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Complete College Georgia (CCG) is an initiative that has the University System of Georgia institutions strategizing ways to develop plans that will increase the number of college graduates by the year 2020. Governor Nathan Deal has indicated that graduation rates need to increase from 42% to 60% within the next 7 years. With the anticipation of approximately 20% more students graduating to meet the 250,000 target, a closer look is needed at how an additional 50,000 graduates can be produced to make this goal a reality. To fulfill this goal, there needs to be an increase of approximately 7,143 …

Graduate Student Perceptions Of Support Services In Online Degree Programs, Lydia Karakolidis Cross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing enrollments of online students has impacted higher education institutions over the last twenty years. While much of the research related to online learning has focused on instructional design and student persistence variables, the role of student support services is a needed area of research. This study set out to evaluate online graduate students’ perceptions of their satisfaction and importance in three student support service areas: enrollment services, academic services, and student services at one public, four-year institution in southeastern Georgia. Findings from this quantitative study indicated satisfied online graduate students in a majority of the areas, with mean difference …

Support Networks Of “Educational Pioneers”: A Methodological Approach For Examining The Impact Of A Residential Learning Community On First-Generation Students, Ryan R. Setari

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the use of social network analysis to examine the peer involvement and supportive relationships of students living within an exclusively first-generation RLC. Using network surveys targeted toward a first-generation population, the networks of first-year residents were visualized and measured. The supportive peer relationships that provided students with encouragement, validation, and academic assistance were identified, as well as the networks for friendship and study partnership. The networks identified for this study were examined to find if change occurred between the start and the end of the semester. Multiple regression QAPs were performed to …

The Relationship Between Involvement In Religious Student Organizations And The Development Of Socially Responsible Leadership Capacity, William J. Black

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This study of 76,365 students from 82 U.S. institutions explored the relationship between involvement in a religious student organization and student capacities for socially responsible leadership, based on the Social Change Model of Leadership (SCM). Results from t-tests found students involved in both religious and secular student organizations reported statistically significantly higher scores on all eight measures of socially responsible leadership than students involved in only religious student organizations.

Hierarchical multiple regression models explained between 26% and 29% of the variance in student reported levels of overall socially responsible leadership. Compared to students involved in no organizations, involvement in …

Determined To Make A Difference: A Qualitative Study Of College Women Student Leaders, Heather Yattaw Wagoner

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

While research has grown related to the experiences of gender and leadership in the workplace, little research exists on the experiences of gender and leadership in collegiate student organization settings. This study explores the experiences of college women holding executive leadership roles in highly visible on-campus registered student organizations. More specifically, the study seeks understanding of how social role expectancies interfaced with the women’s perceptions and experiences as college leaders.

Data were generated with undergraduate women leaders at a large, public research institution in the southeast during the fall of 2014 using qualitative methods including individual interviews, group interviews, and …

Self-Authoring Gender Performance: A Narrative Analysis Of Gay Undergraduate Men, Casey Shadix

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

The perspectives of gay men on college and university campuses is informed by a rich gay social history and extensive roots of community politics. The experiences of gay undergraduate men have been illuminated in segmented ways in scholarly literature to date. This narrative inquiry develops and advances those efforts by exploring how gay undergraduate men construct, experience, and make meaning of their gender as a population ascribing to both liberationist and assimilationist viewpoints. Data for this qualitative study were collected at one public, four-year research university in the southeastern United States in the fall 2015 semester using recorded personal interviews …

Student Veterans And Their Transition To Becoming A College Student, Paul R. Higgerson

Masters Theses

This study sought to understand how student veterans view their transition to becoming a college student. A small, but increasing, amount of studies have been conducted on this topic. A qualitative approach, specifically a narrative method, was utilized to better understand how student veterans made meaning of the life events they experienced during their transition. Six student veterans in at least their second semester at their current institution were interviewed one-on-one, and their narratives are included here. This study revealed that student veterans and adult learners share many characteristics and that by viewing the student veteran as a student in …

Motivation Behind Male Undergraduate Students' Decision To Participate In A Study Abroad Program, Rachel Ann Lindhart

Masters Theses

This study sought to explore the motivating factors behind a male students' decision to study abroad during their undergraduate career at a mid-sized Midwestern university. A phenomenological qualitative approach was used understand the factors that influenced their decision to participate in a study abroad program. Five male undergraduate students in their third year or higher that had participated in a semester-long or summer independent study abroad program were interviewed one-on-one. The results demonstrated that the participants committed to study abroad during their sophomore year of college. The students' decisions were influenced by a variety of factors, including academics, people, their …

The Campus Ministry And The African American College Students' Experience: A Case Study, Tania Lacora Ward

Masters Theses

African Americans surpass other ethnicities in their level of spiritual and religious engagement (Johnson, Elbert-Avilla, &Tulsky, 2005). This is particularly true for African American college students. This engagement though, may be especially important in providing African American students a path to academic success. According to Donahoo and Caffey (2010) "African American students remain committed to church involvement and religious practice, in part, due to the range of individual benefits and supports that those opportunities provide" (p. 79). This study investigated the role of spirituality in African American college students' achievement; to understand how and why they become involved, and how …

Microaggression In The College Environment: Narratives Of African American Students At A Predominantly White Institution, Courtney Lynette Jones

Masters Theses

The study examined narrative experiences of microaggression from African American college students attending a Predominately White institution (PWI). Participants consisted of a combination of undergraduate and graduate students from a mid-size Midwestern institution of higher education. A qualitative approach was taken through a two-step series, first an email was sent to participants to obtain experiences of microaggression. After, a semi-formal follow-up interview was conducted to collect data for the research. The findings reported all six participants' experienced intentional and unintentional microaggression on various places of the college campus such as, the classroom, campus offices, campus police department, and campus-events. Microaggression …

Examining Hybrid-Gift Philanthropy In Division I Intercollegiate Athletics: A Mixed Methods Study, John Thomas O'Sullivan

Dissertations

Over the past few decades, the money and attention associated with Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) has exploded. At the same time, however, many ICA departments claim to be at a financial crossroads with coaching salaries and operational costs soaring upwards. Not surprisingly, ICA departments are responding by focusing on increasing their fundraising in innovative ways. Perhaps the most interesting of these is in the area of hybrid—or blended—giving, which combines cash with a deferred gift. While these gifts have the potential to help generate substantially more revenue for ICA, unfortunately there is limited empirical research surrounding them.

In an effort to …

An Empirical Look At The Impact Of Course And Faculty Characteristics On Student Evaluations, Travis J. Degheri

Dissertations

Student evaluations of college instructors are anything but a new phenomenon, having been used since the early 1900s. Today, universities around the world continue to use student evaluations as a means for measuring instructor effectiveness. Despite concerns of student objectivity, at many institutions these evaluations have a sizable influence on decisions involving faculty promotion, tenure, and merit salary increases. While there is much literature examining student evaluations, few studies have provided a longitudinal, multi-discipline exploration of the impact course and faculty characteristics have on student evaluations.

To address this gap in the literature, this study used publically available data collected …

Does Being Greek Work?: An Analysis Of The Effect Of Greek Affiliation On Grade Point Average And Retention, Jade C. W. Jones

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate if affiliated students are more academically successful and better retained compared to their nonaffiliated counterparts. Utilizing data given to me by the Committee on Retention Efforts (CORE), I found that affiliated students were more academically successfully and better retained than their nonaffiliated counterparts. Additionally, I found that affiliated women were more academically successful and better retained than their affiliated male and nonaffiliated counterparts. The title of my thesis is "Does Being Greek Work?," and my findings indicate that being Greek does in fact work.

Neither Here Nor There: Transformational Leadership And Cultural Intelligence In Presidents Of U.S. Accredited Universities Located In Foreign Countries, Jeff Bourgeois

Dissertations

The role of a university president combines the symbolism of an institutional ambassador with the leadership responsibilities of a private-sector executive. When considering the cultural context of the university and the culture of the surrounding community, the demands of the presidential position become far more complex. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation currently lists 42 colleges and universities with institutional-level accreditation located beyond the borders of the Unite States, and two more listed as candidates for future accreditation consideration. Presidents of the 44 internationally located universities bearing U.S. accreditation must negotiate the potential for tension between the many cultures at …

In Memories Of A Glorious Past: Transylvania College And The Liberal Arts In American Higher Education, 1945-1975, Jonathan Tyler Baker

Theses and Dissertations--History

Located in Lexington, Kentucky, and known for its historic connection to the Disciples of Christ Church, Transylvania College furnishes the opportunity to analyze the recent history of American liberal arts colleges and the way they handled issues of enrollment, funding and curriculum in the immediate postwar era—a period of unprecedented growth in American higher education. Transylvania College acts as a microcosm for other, similar liberal arts colleges. A careful examination of architecture, enrollment, student activities, and the way the administration interacted with governing boards will provide a glimpse into the way certain liberal arts colleges addressed their religious and budgetary …

Chinese Nursing Students At Australian Universities: A Narrative Inquiry Into Their Motivation, Learning Experience, And Future Career Planning, Carol Chungfeng Wang

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study presents a narrative inquiry of Chinese nursing students at Australian universities in order to examine these students’ motivations, learning experiences and future career planning. Australia seeks to attract international nursing students from China to maintain its economic advantage and alleviate its projected nursing shortage. In contrast, China desperately needs its best and brightest citizens who have trained abroad as nurses to return to China in order to cope with its current challenges in the healthcare system and nursing education. Little is known about the underlying factors that motivate Chinese nursing students to study in Australia, these students’ learning …

Investigating The Relationships Between Education And Culture For Female Students In Tertiary Settings In The Uae, Beverley Mcclusky

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research is about the higher education of Indigenous Emirati women and how they balance the intricate demands of higher education with the social customs of a traditional society and the expectations placed on women. The study sought to identify and comprehend the issues which have affected the educational changes that are taking place, including culture, gender, religion, the influence of Western education processes, and the desire of an Indigenous population to raise their educational practices to an internationally recognised benchmark.

The research was aimed at providing insights into the distinctiveness of this group of women from their social and …

Creative River Journeys: Using Reflective Practice To Investigate Creative Practice-Led Research, Kylie J. Stevenson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This ‘Creative River Journey’ doctoral study explored the processes of art practice and knowledge-making by six artist–researchers engaged in creative higher degrees by research (HDR) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in three arts disciplines—performing arts, visual arts, and creative writing. The study applied the Creative River Journey (CRJ) reflective practice strategy, originally applied as the River Journey tool in music education (Burnard, 2000; Kerchner, 2006), but further developed by the researcher into a three-phase reflective practice strategy for its application in complex practice-led research projects over the extended period of the participants’ HDR studies. Six rich cases studies of HDR …

International Postgraduate Students And Their Reasons For Choosing To Study At Public Universities In Perth, Western Australia, Steven Cohen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The global higher education sector has become increasingly competitive. A large segment of that market now consists of attracting international students. Understanding why these students are motivated to study overseas is crucial for universities seeking to attract the transnational students as well as for the host country. Trading education is now Australia’s third largest export. As the international market for students becomes more crowded, it is imperative that thorough and concise research occurs to assist local universities within Australia to maintain their competitive advantage.

Perth, Western Australia (WA) comprises a small segment of the international Australian tertiary education market. An …

On The Same Page: Theory, Practice & The Ela Common Core State Standards, Jessica Lauer

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This research sought to examine how writing was happening in high schools. States across the country, including Michigan, began implementing the Common Core State Standards in 2010. The standards place a heavy focus on informational texts particularly as a student reaches high school. The standards also suggest that writing should be a shared responsibility among teachers, acknowledging the importance of cross-disciplinary writing skills. Using a grounded theory approach to analyze the semi-structured interviews conducted with eight English teachers in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, this research revealed a disconnect between theory and practice when it comes to how educational standards …

A Qualitative Comparison Of General Chemistry And Advanced Placement Chemistry Students' Misconceptions Regarding Solution Chemistry, Megan J. Vandersee

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study focused on identifying misconceptions which high school AP and collegiate general chemistry students hold with regards to solution chemistry topics and comparing the misconceptions held by each student group. Previous research has found that misconceptions can greatly impact students’ understanding of material and have a negative impact on student learning. However, not all solution chemistry topics had been explored in previous research. In addition, it has been suggested that collegiate students have reached a higher level of cognitive development as they are older and more advanced in their studies. If this is the case, one could assume that …

Student Affairs Approaches To Religion And Spirituality In U.S. Public Higher Education, Kayla J. Stafford

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The field of student affairs addresses diversity and inclusion for all students; however, the student affairs profession may not provide support and resources for all developmental identities. There are a small number of public institutions that provide resources to help address and support students’ religious and spiritual development. It is known that private colleges are able to provide spiritual and religious resources for students, but the current study investigates the opportunities that lie within public universities. Literature has provided evidence of the importance of religious and spiritual discussions and resources for holistic student development, and the significance of this study …