Education Commons^™

Do Honors Programs Make A Difference During The First Year Of College? The Development Of Critical Thinking Skills And Exposure To Good Practices In Undergraduate Education, Amanda Kay Moore

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal study analyzed pretest-posttest data to 1) examine the influence of honors programs on first-year college students' critical thinking skills, 2) to determine whether students in honors programs receive more exposure to good practices in undergraduate education than their non-honors peers, and 3) to assess the effect of good practices on critical thinking. The quasi-experimental study also investigated whether the influence of honors programs on critical thinking skills varied in direction and magnitude for male versus female students and White versus students of color. To replicate an earlier study conducted by Seifert et al. (2007), the current study utilized …

Family Policies And Institutional Satisfaction: An Intersectional Analysis Of Tenure-Track Faculty, Heather Lee Schneller

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gender and faculty career advancement have been examined with a focus on academic work environment, including faculty workloads, mentoring relationships, access to research networks, and work-life balance. Previous studies concerned with gender, employment, and care work only have considered child care. Additionally, the exploration of faculty and care work focused specifically on gender instead of examining the interaction of race and gender. To date, no study on academic work-life policies includes faculty perceptions of their importance and effectiveness nor has the faculty assessment of eldercare policy been examined in relation to career success.

Guided by an intersectional perspective, this study …

The Academic Effects Of Learning Styles On Esl (English As A Second Language) Students In Intensive English Language Centers, Baderaddin Mahmood Yassin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the learning styles of ESL students (students who learn English as a second language). The focus in this study was on the ESL Arab Gulf (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates) students who study English as a second language in Intensive English Language Centers (IELCs) in the United States. The study explored the ESL Arab Gulf students' learning style preference and how they are affected by different variables such as cultural background, gender, and language level in IELCs. ESL Arab Gulf students were administered the VARK Learning Styles questionnaire. It measures several sensory types of …

A Comparison Of Student Success By Faculty Qualifications, Kristine A. Garner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Providing the best qualified faculty to ensure the most successful student outcomes is a priority in higher education. The use of adjunct faculty in colleges and universities is continually increasing, especially for lower level courses. Previous research has come to conflicting conclusions regarding the quality of adjunct faculty. Indicators of student success were compared between part-time instructors with professional doctoral degrees and full-time instructors with academic doctoral degrees. Results of statistical analyses of both a comparison of final grade distributions and knowledge of course content determined that there were no significant differences between two comparable groups of students in a …

Trait Differences In Gender In Technology Use And Study Habits Of Rural Community College Students, Phillip Marc Wilson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for conducting the study was to explore the trait differences by gender of the study habits and technology use patterns of rural community college students. Significant research and data presently exists at the university level specific to study habits and technology use, but little research had been conducted targeting those topics in a rural community college setting.

The following questions guided the research:

1. What were the study habits of rural community college students?

2. How did rural community college students use technology?

3. Were there significant differences, by gender, in the study habits of rural community college …

Predictors Of Academic Success For The National Board Dental Hygiene Examination And The Southern Regional Testing Agency Clinical Exam, Melissa Gail Efurd

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for conducting this study was to investigate and describe the relationship between applicant criteria for a dental hygiene program and subsequent outcomes on credentialing exams: the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam and the Southern Regional Testing Agency clinical exam. Because admission criteria play a crucial role in applicant selection, choosing students, that will successfully complete the program as well as the necessary credentialing exams, is a particularly crucial task for admission committees. The study had three elements. First, it investigated the relationship between the variables of age, undergraduate GPA and scores from the Psychological Services Bureau Health Occupations …

Doctoral Programs In Educational Leadership: A Duality Framework Of Commonality And Differences, Perry A. Zirkel

Educational Considerations

In recent years, doctoral programs in education leadership have been subject to notable criticism and proposals for reform.

My Life And Economics, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] Age 51 is a bit early to be writing a retrospective about one's career as an economist and one's life. This is especially true for me since I am not on track to win a Nobel Prize, to be admitted to the National Academy of Science, or even to be elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society. Nonetheless, as I write this essay during the fall of 1997, I look back on the 28 years I have spent as a PhD economist and see a record of accomplishment of which I am proud and a number of messages worth …

2012 Fall Faculty Conference: Community And Identity, Academic Affairs

Fall Faculty Conference

The 2012 Fall Faculty Conference features sessions on Mission to Vision, Learning Outcomes, Campus Wide Learning Goals and the Degree Qualifications Profile, and Disrupting Ourselves.

Value Of Education As Perceived By Mexican Immigrants And Caucasian American Citizens Employed In Agriculture In Louisiana, Richard Johnson, Joe Kotrlik

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Agriculture operations benefit from the employment of Mexican immigrants through government programs that supply workers to the industry. Therefore, many crawfish farm operations in Louisiana employ both U.S. citizen and Mexican immigrant labor to operate efficiently. The purpose of this study was to compare selected characteristics of farm workers as well as to explore values related to education, as sorted by citizenship and ethnicity. The results of this study indicated significant differences in Mexican immigrant and Caucasian U.S. citizen crawfish farmers’ educational backgrounds and demographic characteristics, while finding that both groups held similar values about education. In general, the Mexican …

Mobilizing Alumni Constituents For Legislative Advocacy In Higher Education, Elizabeth Saxman Underwood

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adequate funding has become a critical issue for institutions of higher education, affecting outcomes such as accessibility, affordability, and quality of education. The recent economic recession has been detrimental for state funding, resulting in budget cuts for higher education in a majority of states. Overall, state funding has not kept pace with the rising costs of education. Additionally, the issues of state governance and institutional autonomy have also become heightened. Thus, many higher education institutions are initiating advocacy programs with their external constitutions. Because alumni are integral group of an institution's constituent base, and often exhibit the most passion for …

The Effects Of First-Year Students' Self-Perceptions Of Behaviors, Attitudes, And Aptitudes On Their First-To-Second-Year Persistence, Rebecca Jean Lambert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Student persistence continues to be a topic of much research and discussion in higher education. Based on Bean and Eaton's (2000) psychological theory of persistence for its theoretical framework, this study examined the effect of students' demographic and background characteristics and students' self-perceptions on their first-to-second-year persistence at a small, private, faith-based institution. Demographic and background characteristics examined were gender, race/ethnicity, first-generation college student status, high school GPA, and type of high school attended. Four constructs from the CIRP Freshman Survey were used to examine student self-perceptions: (a) Habits of the Mind, (b) Academic Self-concept, (c) Social Self-concept, and (d) …

Perceptions Of Skill Development In A Living-Learning First-Year Experience Program, Kerri Anna Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of students and faculty involved in a living-learning first-year experience program at a small, liberal arts institution about developing skills for life-long learning including critical thinking, written communication, and reflection and engagement across disciplines. The researcher conducted a qualitative case study including focus groups with students and interviews with faculty involved with the first-year experience program. Three focus groups with a total of 19 student participants and individual interviews with 11 faculty participants were conducted. Interviews and focus groups were digitally recorded and then the researcher listened to each session …

Onward And Upward: Characteristics Of African American Senior Student Affairs Officers, Marteze Deon Hammonds

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The journey of African American student affairs professionals has evolved throughout the history of higher education and student affairs. This study examined the career profiles of ten African American Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) at predominately White institutions (PWIs) throughout the United States. By using the curriculum vitae and a survey, this research found that the career profile of African American SSAOs at PWI's were African Americans who had earned a terminal degree, averaged eight career moves over 18 years and were involved in national associations where they published and presented. These SSAOs were active in their communities and willing …

An Exploratory Study Of Characteristics Associated With Postsecondary Educational Attainment In Students Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Amy Marie Hebert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is well documented that attrition in the postsecondary settings for students who are deaf or hard of hearing is greatly due to their academic and communication skills, as well as pre-entry attributes. However there is little evidence that indicates why students who are deaf or hard of hearing are successful in the postsecondary setting. This study tested a hypothesis that demographic, family, psychological and educational variables have a relationship with postsecondary attainment. The variables included in the study were gender, race, math literacy, reading literacy, high school academic setting (public/residential), communication modality (sign language/oral speech), cochlear implant user, parental …

Remembering Arkansas Debate: The Use Of Collective Memory In Analyzing The Role Of Intercollegiate Debate At The University Of Arkansas, Barry John Regan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As one of the most successful organizations on campus for nearly a century, the University of Arkansas debate team created many memories and stories from their time in competition. According to the framework of collective memory, the production and dissemination of these stories is what connects the past, present, and future of a debate team together.

I first reconstruct the history of debate at universities, beginning with development of debate at the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. I then detail the history of debate and argumentation at American universities, including the first intercollegiate debate in 1881. I then …

Concurrent And Dual Credit: The Bridge To Postsecondary Education For First-Generation College Students, Todd Arron Loftin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the most significance Social challenges facing the United States is increasing the number of students entering postsecondary education and having them persist to degree completion. To accomplish this undertaking, more first-generation college students must matriculate and find academic success. Considerable research exists concerning the barriers first-generation students must overcome; however, little research exists regarding the benefits of participating in dual and concurrent credit coursework as a way to increase confidence and prepare for the rigors of higher education.

The purpose of this correlational, quantitative, exploratory study was to consider the impact of dual and concurrent credit on the …

Wayfaring Strangers: A Case Study Of Rural Developmental Writers In The Missouri Ozarks, Robert Andrew Griffith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes a year-long ethnographic study of rural basic writers in the Missouri Ozarks. Using Richard Hofstadter's concept of "anti-intellectualism" as a theoretical lens, I explored the attitudes of students towards writing and academic culture. This exploration was conducted by means of questionnaires, interviews, writing samples, and several experimental courses.

Using all these data-collection mechanisms, I was able to identify three characteristics of these students. They were likely to demonstrate a dualistic ("right/wrong") epistemology. Accordingly, they expected their academic reading to make matter-of-fact truth claims. Finally, students were unlikely to understand the transformative nature of any educational enterprise, hoping …

A Treatise On Diversity In A Dominant Culture University, Brenda Morton, L. Samek, A. Berardi, Debra S. Espinor, S. Song, W. White, S. Bearden

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The authors examine progress in strengthening the Diversity agenda in a school of education within a private Christian university. This agenda is informed by external academic accrediting organizations and principles of social justice congruent with the historical roots of the university. Special emphasis is placed on the unique challenges of confronting how privilege manifests itself in seemingly homogeneous environments. The ultimate goal of the authors is to promote moving beyond cosmetic compliance with accreditation obligations towards a metabolized second order change reflecting internal paradigm shifts in which social justice is a central motivating factor in one’s vocation.

Self-Determination, Success, And College Readiness Of First Generation Students In A Higher Education Institution, Manuel Ochoa

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of the study was to describe and compare if self-determination factors differed in first and non-first generation college students and success levels. Additionally, comparisons of college readiness levels were measured, and finally a measure of factors that contribute to college success based in first and second semester grade point averages were investigated using multiple linear regression analysis. Using a Self-Determination Theory framework of human motivation, helps identify a basic psychological need for autonomy as a central feature for understanding effective regulation and well-being (Moller, Ryan, & Deci, 2006). The target population in this study was 1,586 returning students …

The Relationship Between Student Engagement And The Development Of Character In Mission Driven Faith-Based Colleges And Universities As Measured By The National Survey Of Student Engagement, David M. Turi

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

For many institutions devoted to their mission, especially those that state as their I goal the promotion of character development, the need for measurement tools becomes a priority. These tools can by used not only to assess the stated outcomes, but also to guide I institutional policies, practices, and improvements. The purpose of this study is to determine whether educationally purposeful activities and institutional type are related to the student development of character and how these relationships differ across institutional type. The data from senior students at four-year institutions who completed the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) were used. …

Utilizing Online Education In Florida To Meet Mandated Class Size Limitations, Kari Ann Mattox

Educational Considerations

With the passage of a state constitutional amendment in 2002, Florida school districts faced the challenge of meeting class size mandates in core subjects, such as mathematics, English, and science by the 2010-2011 school year, or face financial penalties.

English Language Learners And Judicial Oversight: Progeny Of Castañeda, Lenford C. Sutton, Luke Cornelius, Robyn Mcdonald-Gordon

Educational Considerations

When the 93rd Congress enacted the Equal Education Opportunity Act of 1974 (EEOA), it required states to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that inhibited equal education participation by their resident students.

The Funding Of Virtual Schools In Public Elementary And Secondary Education ., Luke J. Stedrak, Justin C. Ortagus, R. Craig Wood

Educational Considerations

The advent of information technology throughout the United States has revolutionized the educational process and sparked the rapid growth of virtual education at the K-12 level in almost every state such that courses in every imaginable subject can now be offered outside the geographic constraints of school districts and traditional brick-and-mortar buildings.

A Biotechnology Course For Developing Countries, Karim M. Maredia, Joseph F. Guenthner, Cholani K. Weebadde

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Biotechnology offers benefits, but few developing countries have approved genetically engineered (GE) crops. Extension educational programs could help prepare stakeholders in developing countries to influence biotechnology policies. Michigan State University (MSU) developed a two-week course that was taught 14 times from 2002 to 2010 for 251 participants from 58 developing countries. This course helped form an international network of biotechnology specialists who collaborate with stakeholders.

University Of Maine General Education Requirements, University Of Maine

General University of Maine Publications

The University of Maine's general education requirements (Approved April 2012 by Faculty Senate)

Understanding The Value Of Education: A Critical Component Of A Major Social Change Effort, Susan R. Madsen, Cheryl Hanewicz, Nicolle Johnson, Jessica Burnham

Susan R. Madsen

Receiving the benefits of postsecondary education is important to nations throughout the world. A more educated citizenry results in, among other things, less crime and poverty, increased physical and mental health of individuals, and greater economic growth (e.g., American Human Development Project, 2009; Pascarella, & Terenzini, 2005). These benefits are felt at all levels of society (i.e., individual, community, and national) and essentially define the social and economic structure of a nation. According to a Lumina Foundation (2009) report “college-attainment rates are rising in almost every industrialized or post-industrial country in the world, except the U.S.” (p.1). The graduation rate …

Joining The Academic Chorus: The Success Of First-Generation Female Students At Private Four-Year Institutions Of Higher Education, Sally A. Buckley

Educational Studies Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the experiences of first-generation female students at four-year private institutions of higher education. Improving student retention and degree-completion rates has been a long-standing goal of the higher education community. Despite the attention devoted to student retention since the 1970's, only half of the students who enroll in institutions of higher education obtain a degree within six years of initial enrollment. This study considers the experience of college success, interpreted as degree completion, at four-year private institutions of higher education of nine first-generation female students. The results of nine in-depth interviews illuminate …

Honors Around The Globe

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

The National Collegiate Honors Council is an association of faculty, students, and others interested in honors education. Executive Committee: Gregory Lanier, President, University of West Florida; Rick Scott, President-Elect, University of Central Arkansas; Bonnie Irwin, Immediate Past-President, Eastern Illinois University; Jim Ruebel, Vice-President, Ball State University; Bob Spurrier, Secretary, Oklahoma State University; Gary Bell, Treasurer, Texas Tech University. Executive Director: Cynthia M. Hill, headquartered at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Board of Directors: Kyoko Amano, University of Indianapolis; Lisa Coleman, Southeastern Oklahoma State University; Barry Falk, James Madison University; Laurie Fiegel, Iowa State University; Emily Harris, Montana State University; Jerry Herron, Wayne …

Journal Of National Collegiate Honors Council Dedication

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Marca Wolfensberger has been active in honors education for the past two decades. She co-founded one of the first honors programs in the Netherlands in the early 1990s; ten years later she started connecting with individual members of the NCHC; and, after attending her first NCHC conference in Chicago in 2003, she has been a regular participant in annual honors conferences, bringing with her numerous colleagues—as many as thirty at just one conference—from the Netherlands. She has regularly published and presented on honors education both in the United States and in Europe, and this year she is an organizer of …