Education Commons^™

Homeless Friendly Campus: An Exploratory Case Study Of University Liaisons, Brandy Gros

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study aimed to explore how University Liaisons respond to homelessness on their campus. With new federal and state laws being enacted, little research focuses on the policies, programs, and services at universities. Community Colleges tend to be a more attractive option for homeless youth due to the low cost; however, universities are also seeing an increase in the homeless student population, and more research is needed at the university level. The overarching research question is: How are universities' liaisons with state legislation responding to homelessness? This study used a comparative multiple-case study approach to explore how ULs respond to …

Navigating College While Homeless: A Phenomenological Inquiry Of The Young Adult Experience, Bertha Fountain

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Purpose: The study aimed to understand the perspectives of students in college who were homeless. The research question guiding this inquiry was: How do young adults describe their experience of being homeless while in college?

Method: Qualitative research using a phenomenological approach guided this descriptive inquiry. Interviews were held with 10 students from three CUNY Community Colleges and the data was analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Resilience theory helped to understand the barriers along with the strengths and adaptive responses of the students.

Results: Students experienced unstable and inadequate sleeping arrangements and food insecurity along with their academic responsibilities. Homelessness …

A College Campus Crisis: Are Students Getting The Mental Health Support That They Need During The Covid-19 Pandemic?, Shannon Relevant

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study is to address the increased need for mental health support among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-May 2021), and to ensure students are getting the full mental health support that they need from their campus counseling center. The study will include residential undergraduate and graduate students from Rowan University who have utilized the university's Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) office. Mixed methods of quantitative and qualitative data will be used to collect student responses and answer the research questions. The first step will include participation in an online survey that collects student …

Connecting Incarcerated College Students To Digital Learning Resources, Ethan Annis

Archbishop Alemany Library | Faculty Presentations

These slides accompanied the presentation, Connecting Incarcerated Students to Digital Resources, which was delivered on April 1, 2022, during the general session, at the CARL-ACRL conference. The slides describe Ethan Annis' experience, between December 2019 - March 2022, of leading efforts to incorporate technology and library services into the education of students at Mount Tamalpais College, which educates ~300 incarcerated students inside San Quentin. When Ethan started, there were no computers for student use. By the end of March 2022 there were 35 laptops inside (plus 25 ordered), every student had a Canvas account, computer literacy assessment, tutoring and …

Creating A Sense Of Belonging For Latinx Students In Community College: You Matter, You Fit In, And You Belong, Francisco Javier Bataz

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the perceptions of Latinx sense of belonging in a Midwest community college and how their academic and social experiences are impacted. Sense of belonging is meaningful to community college students because Latinx students are historically underserved in postsecondary education. The goal is to better understand the perceptions of Latinx students in a community college setting and to find out what factors impact sense of belonging. This study is significant because Latinx student retention outcomes in higher education are very low. The Latinx population is the fastest growing group in the United States. Therefore, providing support and an …

Transfer Student Success: Enrich The Lives Of Students Who Transfer To A University, Stephanie Castro

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone Project is on improving the experiences of students who transfer from a community college to a university. Students need support before, during, and after they transfer to a university because transfer students make up a significant portion of the student population. Also, it is argued that a lack of support can negatively impact engagement and interest in the school. The primary stakeholder perspective chosen were first-generation transfer students, first-semester transfer students, and graduated transfer students because they have lived and gone through the process of transferring to a university. Three action options emerged from an …

Educating Asian American College Students On The Importance Of Community And Mentorship, Jeah Limbag

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many college students may find it challenging to discover and create a supportive and consistent community or establish meaningful relationships in school. Asian American college students, in particular, have cultural values, experiences, and ideologies that can limit seeking mentors and establishing a social support network. The consequences of this could be increased feelings of loneliness and isolation, worse mental health, lower academic performance, lower attendance, and an increased likelihood of dropping out of school. To address these challenges, I have created an interactive presentation bringing awareness of the importance of mentorship and community to students in the Asian and Pacific …

Cheating From A Distance: An Examination Of Academic Dishonesty Among University Students, Timothy K. Daty

Doctoral Works at the University of New Haven

Academic dishonesty among college students has been an enduring issue within higher education. While prior research has explored this issue, the recent global pandemic has shifted collegiate demographics dramatically, particularly within online courses. As a result, previous findings may prove less applicable, warranting new research into student cheating within this current educational landscape. Given these new enrollment trends, this study investigated intentions to cheat in traditional and online class settings, and for criminal justice and non-criminal justice majors. Utilizing principles of rational choice theory, other factors related to academic misconduct also were explored.

For this study, original data were collected …

Facing A New Normal: Uncovering The Psychological Effects Of Loneliness On Student Mental Health, Courtney Thoreson

Counselor Education Capstones

In anticipation of the burden loneliness will have in combination with distressing psychological and emotional burdens carried over from the COVID-19 prevention strategies i.e., social distancing, quarantine measures, and lockdowns, colleges and universities are facing a broad spectrum of challenges as they shift to adapt to a new normal. Besides the physical health impact of COVID-19, this global pandemic has unleashed a psychological toll on society that has yet to be fully realized for its potential long-lasting effects. As campuses navigate the broader impacts of COVID-19, understanding the psychological effects of loneliness will be a primary focus in understanding it’s …

Emotional Support Animals For College Students: Do The Benefits Outweigh The Costs?, Sidney Street

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Mental health problems have been drastically increasing in recent years among college students. Alongside the rising prevalence of psychological distress, universities have also experienced an increase in requests to have Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) live on campus. To date however, data are scarce on students’ experiences living with and around ESAs. The present study aims to investigate attitudes and perceptions about ESAs, in both owners of ESAs as well as students who do not own an ESA but have interacted with one. Specifically, owners were interviewed to find whether the perceived benefits of owning an ESA outweigh the associated costs …

First-Generation Student Success: Fernanda Galo Reyes '24, Sarah Gardner, David Albee

Press Releases

Fernanda received some good advice from her family during her college search. “They said, ‘Remember, choose what is right for you, not for us.’” Fernanda took this advice to heart, spending many hours during her senior year at Napa High School researching which college would be right for her. She met with college representatives, talked with admissions counselors, and learned all about financial aid. One university stood out among the many she was considering – largely because of its personal touch.

First-Generation Student Success: Angelica Gonzalez Almanza '23, Sarah Gardner, David Albee

Press Releases

Angelica is majoring in global public health with a minor in community action and social change. Her goal is to pursue a career in public health – a career that will allow her to help others. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health and then a PhD in epidemiology. “I hope that I will be able to work at the county level to implement policies that will overall improve the health of the public.” Just as she hopes to help others, she also appreciates the support she has received both before and during college. She joined AVID …

First-Generation Student Success: Rafael Vilches, Sarah Gardner, David Albee

Press Releases

First-generation college students – those who are the first in their immediate family to attend college – now comprise more than one-quarter of Dominican University of California undergraduates. Each year, incoming first-gen students are invited to join the Torch Student Success Program, a powerful multi-year campus program created to cultivate leadership, develop community, and promote academic success.

First-Generation Student Success: Michelle Chang '24, Sarah Gardner, David Albee

Press Releases

Michelle had many options during her college search. “I wanted to choose a school that would offer academic rigor and substantial financial support,” she recalls. “I was leaning toward UCLA or Cal Poly SLO, but ultimately I wanted to be part of a school where I got the attention and help I needed in order for me to become an outstanding applicant for medical school.”

“They Just Think No One Struggles Here”: A Qualitative Case Study On The Experiences Of Students With Food Insecurity At A Small, Liberal Arts College In The Midwestern United States, Rachel Costello Pridgen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Food insecurity is more prevalent on college campuses than nationwide, though many assume it is not an issue. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of students with food insecurities at a small, liberal arts college. This study particularly focuses on how the liberal arts context influences the experiences of students with food insecurities. Data was collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis and analyzed through a single qualitative case study. Five themes emerged from the research: a) the perceptions of students as well-off created unique barriers; b) student participants had limited access to food …

Making Meaning In The Anthropocene: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Investigation Of College Student Response To Planetary Ecological Crises, Kristen Nelson

Doctoral Dissertations

Higher education, with its core purpose in the generation and transmission of knowledge, has a particular role to play in society’s response to the global ecological crisis. Yet a key question is whether higher education is part of the problem or part of the solution. Sustainability educators insist that higher education, if it is to adequately address these challenges, must shift away from “mechanism” – a rationalist worldview that historically has shaped higher education’s culture and practices – toward an integrative worldview and epistemology that will guide teaching and learning in the new millennium. Emergent pedagogies and student development theories …

Using Digital Technology To Address Confirmability And Scalability In Thematic Analysis Of Participant-Provided Data, Chung Joo Chung, J. Patrick Biddix, Han Woo Park

The Qualitative Report

This article presents a technique for analyzing large-scale qualitative data to address considerations for scalability and confirmability in thematic analysis of participant-provided data. A network approach provides a consistent means of coding that scales with the size of the dataset and is verifiable using standardized methods. This form of data analysis can be used with smaller data sources including interview transcripts as well as large data sources such as open-ended survey responses. A constructivist (inductive) approach is maintained and needed, however, to aid in interpretation of latent constructs. In this article, we provide both a conceptual overview of the co-word …

Osborne, Ethan - Covid-19 Journal, Ethan Osborne

Personal Journals

EIU student Ethan Osborne recounts in detail the experience and frustration of living at home and working on his family farm in the early months of the pandemic, March-May 2020. He also details his observations of and feelings about the news coverage of the pandemic as well as the disregard (particularly by young people) for shelter in place mandates.

Klein, Will - Covid-19 Journal, Will Klein

Personal Journals

EIU student and baseball player (drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 5th round of the 2020 draft) documents the upheaval of life in Charleston and at EIU in the early weeks of the pandemic. In particular he describes the distress of day he found out about the cancellation of the baseball season, while the EIU baseball team was travelling.

Mchale, Marguerite - Covid-19 Journal, Marguerite Mchale

Personal Journals

Marguerite McHale, and EIU student in Professor Mark Dries' HIS 1595 class maintains an upbeat journal documenting the challenges of the pandemic. Of particular note, she describes the growing divide between those supportive of the social distancing and masking initiatives, as well as the impact on high school students who she maintains friendships with as one who graduated a year early from high school. She includes a number of pieces of high school student commentary as well as memes related to the pandemic, and links to news stories. She also describes her home life, and finding ways to keep busy …

Spencer, Julia - Covid-19 Journal, Julia Spencer

Personal Journals

EIU student Julia Spencer describes the challenges adjusting to the new normal of the pandemic as it sets in. In particular she writes about struggles staying motivated to keep up with her studies, and the oddity of having classes on zoom. Her experience is compounded by health scares involving her mother and a friend.

The Impact Of Wellness Training On Resilience, Depression, And Anxiety In College Age Students, Jamie S. Myrtle

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Data suggests that mental health disorders in college students are increasing. University personnel seek to help students better manage their mental health through access to campus counseling centers. Slow enrollment growth has placed pressure on university budgets making it difficult to fully fund counseling centers. Therefore, university personnel seek cost-effective interventions to meet the need. Increasing resilience has shown promise in reducing the overall impact of depression and anxiety. The purpose of the current study was to explore the impact of wellness training on resilience, depression, and anxiety to determine the effectiveness of the intervention in improving resilience and reducing …

Student-Faculty Interactions As Predictors Of Retention And Satisfaction Among Generation Z College Students, Stephani Jarecke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student retention has historically been an important discussion in higher education. While the importance of student retention remains, a new generation of students have filled colleges and universities. This study examines how interactions with faculty influence Generation Z college students’ overall satisfaction and student retention. The quantitative study used the NSSE survey instrument at a public land-grant institution in the Midwest. The results of a Mann-Whitney U analysis indicated a significant difference in student satisfaction reported between students who returned to the same institution the following year and students who did not return. A multiple linear regression analysis indicated that …

The Powers That Be: A Phenomenological Study Of College Students' Impressions Of The Bias In Religious Narratives In History Textbooks, Sarah Irene Herrero

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the perception of bias of college students at a local college regarding the religious narratives in history textbooks. The theory that guided this study was reader response theory, as it identified the tendency of readers to bring their experiences and backgrounds to the literature they read. The study accomplished this by answering (a) how do college students who claim to perceive bias describe their experience of that perception of bias in religious narratives in history textbooks; (b) how do college students describe bias; (c) how do college students construct perceptions of …

A Qualitative Examination Of College Disability Services For Students With Traumatic Brain Injuries, Susan C. Davies, Michael R. Crenshaw, Elana R. Bernstein

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

Adolescents and young adults are at relatively high risk for sustaining traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). These injuries can result in persistent disabilities, including a range of cognitive, physical, and social-emotional deficits that can be particularly challenging for college age students. This qualitative study explored disability services for college students with TBIs through interviews with directors of 18 college Offices of Disability Services (ODS). Respondents provided general information regarding their service model, the most common disabilities served, as well as the number of students with TBI served, and more specific information pertaining to services for students with TBI. Results indicated ODS …

Food Insecurity Among College Students, Alison Hige

Honors Projects

Increasing collegiate education costs results in students today facing greater financial stress. As a result, students have to make difficult choices of how to allocate their monetary resources. Sometimes, students prioritize educational costs over nutrition and health necessities, impacting an individual’s ability to obtain adequate food resources. The purpose of this project was to explore the prevalence and impact of food insecurity among college students. The project included conducting a literature review yielding 26 pertinent articles from the keywords “food insecurity” and “college students.” Food insecurity affects a student’s physical and mental health, along with negatively impacting their scholastic abilities. …

Exploring Student Diversity: College Students Who Have Autism Spectrum Disorders, Monique N. Colclough Phd

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Higher education literature advises that college students who have autism spectrum disorders overwhelmingly attend community colleges. However the persistence and retention of college students who have autism spectrum disorders is not well documented. Absent among the existing literature are first-person narratives of college students who have autism. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of college students who have autism spectrum disorders, focusing on the social experiences that impact college persistence and retention. The following research questions guided the study: What are the social experiences of college students who have autism? What role(s) do various social experiences play in the persistence …

Spirituality: Relationship Between Grit, Equanimity, Spiritual Qualities And First-Generation College Students, Janett Cordoves

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This study investigated the relationship between spirituality and first-generation, undergraduate and graduate college students’ grit, equanimity, and spiritual qualities. The researcher, a higher education professional, sought to highlight spirituality, not religion, as an intervention method for first-generation college students’ retention and success at the university. The results indicated a significant relationship between first-generation college students’ level of grit and equanimity as well as a direct relationship between grit and spiritual qualities. These results help inform educators and highlight that first-generation college students are both resilient as well as calm and centered in the midst of adversity and uncertainty. Participants’ narratives …

College Students' Reactions To Sexual Assault Disclosure, Alexis Nagle

All Zyzzogeton Presentations

A total of 60 Augsburg University undergraduate students took part in a survey to examine reactions to sexual assault disclosure among college students. College students were asked to either respond based on personal experience (i.e., reflective) or, when they lacked personal experience with sexual assault disclosure, to respond hypothetically. The hypothetical group indicated significantly higher unsupportive acknowledgement than the reflective group. Preliminary analyses also revealed that gender did not significantly impact the reactions to disclosure, though male college students reported higher rape myth acceptance than female college students. Given that more than half of the college students experienced a sexual …

The Impact Of Social Situations On College Students’ Perceptions Of Sexual Consent, Casey Jane Ward

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The majority of research examining sexual consent among college students focuses on how young adults communicate sexual consent during interactions immediately preceding a sexual encounter. However, preliminary research suggests that college students perceive that individuals begin to communicate sexual consent within social settings (e.g., at a bar) and through nonsexual interactions (e.g., text messaging); this has been labeled “outside the bedroom” consent. In order to further explore “outside the bedroom” consent, college students (n= 789) were randomly assigned to read four of sixteen vignettes. Within each vignette, four variables were manipulated: gender of the initiator (male or female), the social …