Education Commons^™

English Language Learners And Their Access To Postsecondary Education: Examining Their Achievements And College Readiness Through Educators’ Experiences And Perspectives, Anna Kalinowska

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to bring awareness to the issue of English learners (ELs) being unprepared for college and to study the beliefs and perceptions of educators regarding the factors that contribute to the creation of an achievement gap between EL students and traditional students. The study involved an analysis of trends in the perceptions of school counselors, teachers, and administrators regarding EL students being ready to attend college. Data were collected from nine participants from three public high schools in Pinellas County using Zoom and email interviews and then analyzed. Four main themes emerged from the …

Narratives Of Perseverance By Latina Women Paving Their Way To Success In Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, And Math (Steam) Higher Education, Toni Carmichael

Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative study was to understand the experiences of successful Latina women attaining higher education in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) and the challenges they have overcome along the way. Additionally, I sought to examine ways in which these students challenged the stigma of invisibility often attached to Latino communities. Representatives from Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Mexico, the participants of this study were seven women employed in various areas of STEAM with higher education degrees.

Cultural Capital and Feminist Cultural Studies provided the theoretical framework for this study. The three-dimensional narrative design was applied …

Resistencia Indocumentada: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Higher Education Undocumented Students In The San Diego-Tijuana Border Region, Adan Escobedo Sanchez

Dissertations

Undocumented students face myriad obstacles while attending higher education institutions that would deter them from completing their academic journeys. Furthermore, they are placed with a dual narrative that labels them as either dangerous or exceptional. This study explored the lived experiences of undocumented students in college in the San Diego-Tijuana border region to consider what factors have led to resilience and resistance in their academic journey. By understanding these factors, the research aimed to tackle the dual narrative that burdens undocumented students from the illegality as a master status they possess.

This study used narrative inquiry and a literature review …

How Prepared Are Educators To Work With Students Of Color, Ja're Thorn

Dissertations

From what I have experienced, there has been a lack of preparation when it comes to preparing educators to work with students of color. This research aimed to explore the importance of early childhood teachers’ cultural preparation programs when it comes to working effectively with students of color. Most of the time, teachers teach to the common core standards set in place by the state. They also implement a curriculum that is considered “best practices” for students instead of paying attention to and considering the individual student’s specific culture, family, and community values and ways of life before planning (Spies, …

Communicating Student Outcomes: A Mixed Methods Study Of Communication Effectiveness, Nicholas Branson

Dissertations

Assessment, Communicating evidence, Education, Evaluation, Higher education, Student outcomes

Leader Development Of The Health Information Management (Him) Professional, Theresa Jones

Dissertations

This study contributes to the body of knowledge in leader development by examining how higher education programs in a female dominated profession assist learners in developing person-related characteristics that support leader development. A ten-part online survey was sent to directors of health information management (HIM) programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM). Results suggest an opportunity for improvement in the curriculum for development of person-related characteristics critical for leadership positions. In the interest of the progression of women these results should be taken into consideration.

Marketing Adventist Higher Education In North America : College Choice - Motivators And Barriers, George Charles Dart Jr.

Dissertations

Purpose/Problem

It is estimated more than 75% of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) college-bound students (rising freshmen) who live in the North American Division (NAD) do not attend an SDA college/university. This is a major challenge for the NAD colleges/universities. Discovering motivators and barriers for SDA college-bound students is vital in understanding what influences this population in their college choice selection.

Method

This is a quantitative, cross-sectional, comparative study. An electronic survey using Qualtrics was sent to over 14,000 students with 461 respondents as the sample size. Respondents were sorted into four study groups, using the type of high school attended and …

The Relationship Among Children Born With A Congenital Heart Defect, Effects Of General Anesthesia, And Special Academic Needs, Lorilynn Bowie

Dissertations

Abstract

I initiated this study due to experience in the public education system in one state in the United States. I noted a lack of understanding among educators on how to meet the educational needs of children born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) who had undergone general anesthesia related to their CHD. A lack of communication between the medical sector and the educational world led to extensive delays in children receiving the educational support they needed to be successful academically. There were two primary exploratory questions that drove my study: 1.) Is there a relationship between children born with …

Ldentifying And Characterizing Cognitive Factors Significant To Practicing And Learning Meteorology, Peggy M. Mcneal

Dissertations

To see the world as a meteorologist, one must understand and interpret atmospheric processes through representations depicted on two-dimensional weather charts and maps that encode large amounts of spatial and numerical data. This is a cognitively demanding and spatially challenging task, especially for students with burgeoning levels of meteorology knowledge, who lack the expertise of practiced meteorologists that read such charts and maps with ease. With little prior work informing meteorology and meteorology education through a cognitive science lens, this study surveys the literature and follows models of discipline-based education and cognitive science research to identify the discrete intelligence factors …

Students With Intellectual Disabilities Accessing Postsecondary Education Settings: Promoting Education Equity: Seeing Students For Their Ability First And Supporting Their Development As Contributing Members Into A Diverse Society, Kathleen N. Mercier

Dissertations

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine and describe the lived experiences of seven students with intellectual disabilities (ID) participating in two postsecondary education (PSE) settings in Southern California that were aligned to the Think College Standards-Based Conceptual Framework for Inclusive Higher Education.

Through a qualitative approach of ethnography, the researcher examined various stakeholders’ awareness and ability to support students with ID in higher education settings in an effort to support future development of PSE programs for students with ID. Methodology tools included classroom observations, individual interviews, and examination of artifacts from the sample of PSE settings in …

Student Demographics And Perceptions Of The Cost-Sharing Program For Financing Higher Education In Tanzania And Their Relationship To Perceived Likelihood Of Student Loans Repayment, Protas A. Makimu

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose

All over the world, the costs of higher education are becoming unaffordable for people of low and middle socio-economic status. The rising costs of colleges and universities are outpacing any growth in incomes and the price increases of other indispensable needs such as medical care, food, clothing and housing. Tanzania is facing the same problem. Because the country has very low gross enrollment rate (GER) even in comparison to other African countries, the government has established the cost-sharing program to increase students’ access to higher educational institutions and enrollment. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to …

The Relationship Between Financial Incentives And Perceptions Of Student Choice At Private Michigan Universities, Ndahwa Musa Masanja

Dissertations

Problem

The rising cost of getting a college or university degree gives millions of students “sticker shock” each year, and paying off student debt has only grown more difficult over time (Liberto, 2012). The College Board, a nonprofit group that runs the SAT exam, indicates that over the past decade, the average annual tuition for community college has risen 40% to $3,122 while the yearly cost at a four-year public university has risen 68% to $7,692. The escalating cost of higher education has inevitably influenced students’ choice of college or university (Felton, 2012). These high tuition costs make a college …

Curricular Instruction Of Global Leadership At Colleges And Universities In The United States, Tara L. Edberg

Dissertations

Colleges and universities in the United States have made leadership education a priority as they prepare students to confront adaptive challenges in the 21st century; “wicked problems” such as poverty, uneven opportunities for education, homelessness, and illnesses worldwide. In addition, with the increased globalization of our world, the need to teach students how to lead in a complicated, multicultural context intensifies. Global leadership is an emergent concept in the leadership field combining leadership practices with those of global cultural competency while highlighting the significance of a dynamic and complex context in the leadership process.

While there has been a significant …

Attitude, Subjective Norm, And Perceived Behavioral Control As Indicators For Nurse Educators’ Intention To Use Critical Thinking Teaching Strategies: A Structural Equation Model Analysis, Angerlita Yolanda Smith

Dissertations

Problem

Deficiencies in new nursing graduates’ ability to use critical thinking skills have been documented. Researchers have found that the continued use of traditional teaching methods and less student-centered approaches for critical thinking development has contributed to this problem. This particular issue has evoked much concern for institutions and organizations involved with the safe delivery of patient care. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) the relationship between the factors educator characteristics, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control in a hypothesized model that may influence nurse educators’ intention to use instructional methods that promote critical thinking in …

The Effects Of Race And Gender On The Satisfaction Levels Of Entering And Advanced Level Doctoral Students, Tiffany Nicole Labon

Dissertations

Doctoral education is an aspect of higher education that can be both rewarding and challenging for anyone who attempts the journey. Thelin (2004) stated many graduate students obtain the necessary skills that their individual fields of study require in their master’s and doctoral programs of study. Levine (2005), however, has found that the levels of satisfaction between what students expect and what they receive are at odds at many colleges and universities around the country. Thus, the need to assess graduate programs and services regarding satisfaction is warranted.

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship of overall …

Barriers And Enablers Of Interdisciplinary Research At Academic Institutions, Leslie Suzanne Thornton Butler

Dissertations

This research study examines the factors that motivate and lead to the success of faculty members who conduct interdisciplinary research. Because a comprehensive study of the research patterns of interdisciplinary researchers has not been conducted, the main intent of this research project was to create an instrument that would measure research habits and attitudes. It is important that such research be conducted using individuals who are interdisciplinary researchers as well as disciplinary researchers. One intent of the research study was to provide comparisons between disciplinary researchers and interdisciplinary researchers. Another intent was to provide university administrators with a better understanding …

Set Up For Success: An Examination Of The Ronald E. Mcnair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program's Mentoring Component, Dwuena Cene' Wyre

Dissertations

Often, individuals are set up to fail. However, effective mentoring can set individuals up to succeed. This nonexperimental cross-sectional, predictive study examines the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program's mentoring component. Specific focus is placed on faculty mentor competency and its impact on McNair student intent to attain a doctoral degree and awareness of graduate school.

Cohen's (1993, 1995) Principles of Adult Mentoring Scale-Postsecondary Education Scale is utilized to assess McNair student perceived faculty mentor competency. Carrera's (2002) measures of effectiveness for the McNair Program's mentoring component are also used in this study.

Sequential multiple regression is the employed method …

The Relationship Between Community Service Involvement And Student Outcomes In Mexican Higher Learning Institutions, Raul Lozano

Dissertations

Problem. Although Mexican Seventh-day Adventist higher learning institutions involve their students in diverse forms of community service, it is not clear whether involvement in service-related projects in these institutions is producing the desired prosocial, spiritual, and personal development in the students.

Method. A mixed methods design combining qualitative and quantitative research approaches was carried out to understand the way community service is implemented in Mexican Adventist higher education and its impact on students. In the qualitative stage, three cases were studied in which 18 people from three Seventh-day Adventist universities in Mexico participated in interviews and focus groups. Data were …

Student Persistence In Associate Degree Nursing Programs At Mississippi Community Colleges, Kathryn Lee Fleming

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine factors of student persistence and attrition in addition to strategies that may help students persist in associate degree nursing programs at community colleges. Data were collected from nursing students enrolled in first-year associate degree nursing programs at participating Mississippi community colleges and analyzed using multiple regression and repeated measures ANOVAs. Tinto’s Classic Model and Bean & Metzner’s Nontraditional Model of Student Attrition were utilized in this study. This mixed methods convenience sample yielded 564 participants, and the results were as follows: environmental factors and demographic factors of student persistence were found to …

The Impact Of Self-Efficacy And Motivation Characteristics On The Academic Achievement Of Upward Bound Participants, Brenda Leigh Brown

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of self-efficacy and motivation characteristics on the achievement of at-risk students. Seventy-nine Upward Bound program participants completed self-efficacy, motivation, and demographic questionnaires. The relationship between GPA and self-efficacy was significant, negative, and low in strength. High GPA was associated with high self-efficacy (as shown by lower numbers on the survey). Gender, length of time in the Upward Bound (UB) program, length of participation in the UB summer program, college sponsor (community or four-year college), self-efficacy characteristics, and motivation characteristics significantly predicted academic achievement as measured by GPA. The relationship between …

Mixed-Method Analyses Of Federal Court Decisions During 1980-2007 Involving Race And Sex Discrimination Under Title Vii Of The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 And Faculty Tenure Denial Decisions In Higher Education, Jannifer Crittendon

Dissertations

Purpose

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has become the foundation of modem federal equal employment opportunity law. The application of this law to adverse tenure decisions, however, may differ from other adverse employment decisions because of judicial deference toward institutions of higher education. This present study analyzed published federal court cases decided during the period 1980-2007 involving Title VII, tenure denial, and higher education. This will contribute to understandings of the relationship between federal courts, faculty, and higher education by analyzing the extent of a statistical association between case and/or plaintiff characteristics and case outcomes; and isolating those institutional …

Socioeconomic Characteristics As Factors Of Academic Success On The Exame Nacional De Cursos Among Undergraduate Students Of Selected Study Programs In Brazil, Josmar Sionti Arrais De Matos

Dissertations

This study investigated the possible relationships among socioeconomic characteristics as factors influencing the success levels of Brazilian students. Data were provided by the 2002 Exame Nacional de Cursos [National Examination of Study Programs], or ENC , in five cursos . For this study, the following programs, representing three levels of prestige, were selected: low (Modern Letters and History), middle (Law), and high (Medicine and Dentistry). The purpose was to gain a deeper understanding of the issues associated with relationships among various socioeconomic characteristics, as well as to gain a more global understanding of the implications of the socioeconomic process as …

Data Warehousing And Decision Making In Higher Education In The United States, David Lester Heise

Dissertations

Problem. Compared to the business world, higher education has a lower level of acceptance and a lower rate of adoption of data warehousing for decision making. Studies into the way data warehouses are used in higher education and the extent to which they are used are hard to find. Accordingly, this research examines the use of data warehousing in higher education and its role in decision making.

Method. Internet survey research method was used in this study. I asked college and university presidents to provide me with contact details of senior decision makers and technology managers from their institutions. …

Perceptions Of Board Effectiveness In Selected Institutions Of Higher Education In Zimbabwe, Bonginkosi Zvandasara

Dissertations

Problem

The purpose of this study was to identify the level of board effectiveness in selected private and public universities in Zimbabwe as perceived by board members. Also, the study sought to determine the influence of such demographic variables as age, education level, and years of service on the seven factors of university functioning: institutional mission, institutional planning, physical plant, financial management, board membership, board organization and performance, and board/vice chancellor relations.

Method

The survey method was used to collect data. Respondents were asked to complete a 47-item questionnaire and indicate their level of agreement on each of the questions …

Institutional Activities In International Higher Education : An Assessment Of Advancement Strategies Used At Selected Small Church-Related Colleges And Universities, Janeric Arne Gustavsson

Dissertations

Problem. Small church-related colleges and universities are experiencing financial difficulties. This study assesses the institutional advancement programs at selected Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities. The purpose of this examination was to analyze "what is" to determine the present-day process of the advancement function, and what "ought to be." These data will also suggest potential areas for growth and development.

Method . The study uses a non-experimental, descriptive design. To accomplish the purpose of the study, the literature on institutional advancement was reviewed to find a useable framework. The instrument used for this study was the one used in Willmer's …

The Development Of A Continuing Educational System For The College Of The Bahamas With Implications For Third World Countries, Arthur Leon Roach

Dissertations

Problem. The problem addressed in this study is what form adult education should take and how it should be organized and administered to provide maximum effect for The Commonwealth of the Bahamas, considering its geography. No systematic study has been undertaken with a view to develop such a continuing education system. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a continuing education system for the College of the Bahamas.

Method. The study utilized a developmental research approach to investigate the organization and administration of continuing education in institutions of higher education in the United States with a view to …

The Historical Development Of Higher Education In Bermuda, Inez E. Browne-Dixon

Dissertations

Phenomenal, pervasive, and fundamental change characterize the 1980s, often threatening to lead to entropy and decay. Innovative ways must be found to maintain equilibrium amidst disorienting world events. The search to find a more meaningful experience has moved education to the center of social and cultural concern and created renewed interest in the foundations of educational practice.

Problem. A diligent search revealed a great lack of systematic studies on the development of higher education in Bermuda. There is a need to select data on higher education and present them in a comprehensible format. This study sought to fill that need. …