Education Commons^™

Taking Care Of What Matters: How Student Involvement And Characteristics Relate To Senior Student Sense Of Belonging, Kayla Pineda

Theses and Dissertations

Student sense of belonging has been a topic of discussion for decades; however, senior student sense of belonging has not been looked at as closely as other groups of students. As seniors transition out of college, institutions must consider that these students become the alumni who contribute through alumni donations and share their experiences with future generations of students.

Looking at data from a single very high research college campus in a rural state, the study explored variables that relate to senior student sense of belonging. Using Ahn and Davis’s (2020a) 4 domains of student sense of belonging, variables were …

Increasing Graduate School Enrollment In A Shrinking Applicant Pool: A Look At Factors Influencing College Choice, Lindsey Erin Storey Shelton

Theses and Dissertations

For years, the impending enrollment cliff has been a regular topic amongst higher education officials. With this event slated to hit undergraduate programs by 2025, it is anticipated that graduate schools will begin feeling the impact by 2029. By examining factors influencing graduate student college choice, enrollment managers can identify ways to offset the decline in eligible graduate students.

This study looked at applicants’ decisions to enroll or not enroll over a 5-year period at a public, research-intensive institution. The results of this study provided insight into the individual and academic factors that influence college choice, while also measuring the …

College Preparedness. Narratives Of Transitions From High School To College., Chelsey Luann Vincent

Theses and Dissertations

Despite many theories on student success as well as many resources to help students make the transition from high school to college, many students do not persist in or graduate from college. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide insight into what takes place when students leave P-12 institutions and enter institutions of higher education by using focused narrative inquiry. This study took place at a large research university in the south. The study included 4 participants at various parts of their transition journey. Participants in the study responded to written prompts. Follow up interviews were conducted, and a …

Exploring The Impact Of Extracurricular Activities On Adolescent Development: A Study Of Students Attending Schools In Poverty And Non-Poverty Areas, Clifton B. Thames

Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has indicated a relationship between poverty, participation in extracurricular activities, and developmental outcomes. The current study aimed to investigate and develop a deeper understanding of extracurricular activities (ECAs) and their impacts on adolescent development using two self-report tools, the YES 2.0 and the Delinquent Attitude Scale (DAS). The researcher surveyed 174 high school seniors from students attending schools in poverty areas and students attending schools not located in poverty areas in Mississippi, examining disparities in ECA opportunities, barriers to participation, and the positive and negative impacts of ECAs on development. Additional data were collected from school administrators, allowing …

Culturally Responsive Education: Creating A Safe And Inclusive Environment For Lgbtq+ Students, Kassidi M. Adams

Culminating Experience Projects

This paper explores research that discusses the impact of a culturally responsive education and lack-of for LGBTQ+ students and recommends a solution to ensure all students are safe and represented in schools. The research cited varies in their definitions and uses of the term LGBTQ+. This paper will use the term LGBTQ+, an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more communities; however, the abbreviation used in the referenced research may be shortened to LG, LGB, LGBT, or LGBTQ to reflect only specific communities included in LGBTTTQQIAAP (VandenBos, 2015). This paper will also focus on inclusion, which refers to …

Examining The Impact A Bus Driver Attendance Incentive Program Had On Bus Driver Attendance In A Rural Mississippi School District, Samuel B. Allison

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of a bus driver attendance incentive program implemented in a rural Mississippi school district with the aim of improving bus driver attendance rates. There is a shortage of bus drivers across Mississippi which has made bus driver attendance paramount. Bus driver absenteeism causes disruptions in student transportation services and affects overall school operations. To address this problem, a rural Mississippi school district introduced a bus driver attendance incentive program that provided financial incentives for bus drivers who maintained perfect attendance rates each month.

The research methodology involved collecting and analyzing attendance data for bus drivers …

Does Mississippi School Principals’ Age, Race, Gender, Educational Attainment, Work Experience In Education, Or Evaluation Scores Influence Accountability Points?, Braxton Dywayne Stowe

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional research agrees that only effective school principals can fully influence student achievement, and school leaders are pivotal to the success of schools in America. Researchers have linked positive student outcomes to further illustrate the point, including student achievement, to high-quality school leadership. The purpose of this study is to assist state and district education leaders in Mississippi in having a more profound knowledge of which principal demographics and characteristics are more directly correlated with the improvement of accountability scores or student achievement. The results of the correlational and regression analysis to determine the relationship between principal variables and the …

Mbs News, December 8, 2023, Maine Business School

General University of Maine Publications

No abstract provided.

Important Safety Information For Our Faculty And Staff, Robert Q. Dana, William J. Flagg, Office Of Human Resources, University Of Maine

General University of Maine Publications

Robert Dana email to UMaine employees providing reminders about where to find active shooter training materials.

News, Events, Announcements & Highlights, December 8-December 15, 2023, College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences

General University of Maine Publications

No abstract provided.

Student Thinking Driving Collaboration And Teacher Knowledge, Rachel Cheney

Theses and Dissertations

The study in this paper examined how teachers engaged in their structured Professional Learning Community (PLC) time in a manner that focused their work on student mathematical thinking. The participants included two third-grade teachers and two fourth-grade teachers engaged in an alternative PLC process during their collaboration time. Interviews were conducted and focused on how the teachers thought about student thinking as the driving force of their collaboration. The teachers found their PLC time was more focused, student thinking led the discussions and lessons, they were more responsive to student needs, and their own mathematical understanding increased. The teachers also …

Parent Training In Video Modeling: Comparing Least To Greatest Supports, Janae Hammond Robbins

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines one type of parent training—Video Modeling (VM)—and how intense the training needs to be for a parent to learn this intervention effectively. The researchers observed three types of training: self-training, didactic training through a pre-recorded lesson, and one-on-one training. A repeated acquisition single case design across participants was used along with a control group. The participants included nine parents from the surrounding areas of Brigham Young University who were randomly selected for either the intervention group or the control group. Four of the five participants in the intervention or treatment group achieved mastery once they received didactic …

Synergizing Occupational Science And Occupational Therapy: Designing An Integrated Foundations Course For Health Education, Natalie A. Perkins, Guy Mccormack, Anne Dunlea

Pacific Journal of Health

The Occupational Therapy Department at University of the Pacific embarked on a tailored initiative to reshape the occupational therapy foundations course for entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) students. Collaboratively designed and co-taught by the first and second authors, experienced occupational therapists in both clinical and academic realms, alongside the third author, a seasoned occupational scientist with a rich background in instructing graduate and undergraduate professionals, this innovative course aligns with the program's biopsychosocial philosophy.

The primary objective of this course was to provide students with an expansive perspective on the fundamental role of occupation in human life. Various assessment methods …

Network Science: Activity Guide Introduction

Worlds of Connections Resources

Welcome to the Worlds of Connections network science activity guides. We are

happy to share our fun, engaging, and hands-on activities and hope you enjoy them. College students, teachers, middle school youth in afterschool programs, learning researchers, artists/designers, psychologists, and sociologists helped create these guides over several years. We suggest that you use them to build community in clubs, classrooms, and camps; develop systems thinking and network science knowledge; plus promote curiosity and opportunities to discover.

Career Development & Learning At Jesuit Colleges & Universities During The Covid-19 Pandemic & Beyond, Christine P. Li-Grining, Maria Radulescu, Daniela Ugalde, Joyce Knight

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Today’s youth are often interested in how they can work toward social justice, not just in their spare time, but also as part of their educations and careers. This includes students who are drawn to the social justice missions of Jesuit colleges and universities. In 2020, the COVID-19 public health crisis disrupted education and career plans, placing major obstacles along young adults’ pathways. Guided by the Engagement of Hope theoretical model, the current study examines student supports and how they may facilitate hope and learning. Mixed methods data were collected from five undergraduate students from a Jesuit university in a …

Possibility Thinking In The Community-Engaged Classroom: Uniting Hope And Imagination Towards Anti-Racist Action, Betsy Bowen, Lilly Campbell, Jenna Green, Emily A. Phillips

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Drawing on the work of Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J., this article examines the contribution that “possibility thinking” makes to community-engaged learning at three Jesuit universities. The article considers ways in which possibility thinking intersects both Jesuit and secular perspectives on hope and imagination, and their relationship to anti-racist praxis. We then describe three institutional contexts at different stages of enacting community-engaged learning in introductory and upper-level English classes. The article concludes by offering three praxis-oriented directions for community-engaged learning educators to take up in their own institutional contexts: developing faculty capacity and awareness; fostering solidarity not charity; and encouraging reflection not …

Implications Of A Community-Based Learning Faculty Fellows Program To Facilitate Teaching And Learning In The Jesuit Tradition, Debra Fetherman, Julie Schumacher Cohen, Ovidiu Cocieru, Gerard Dumancas, Brian Snee, Patricia Wisniewski

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

The University of Scranton is one of the 28 Jesuit institutions of higher education located in the United States. Committed to community engagement and the development of Ignatian educators, a Community-Based Learning (CBL) Faculty Fellows Program was implemented academic year 2022-2023. The Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm and the Engagement of Hope framework were used as models to develop, implement, and assess a CBL faculty development program. Program activities were designed to build faculty skills, capacities, and their identity as community-engaged practitioners. Lessons learned through program assessment on the impact on faculty’s transformation to Ignatian educators and their ability to imagine new …

Stories With Strangers: A Community Building Library At Regis University, Amy Hezel, Dawn Combe

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

The authors share foundational texts and topics of engagement that led to an event called: “Stories with Strangers: A Community Building Library at Regis University.” The event was named, “Stories with Strangers” to highlight the “stories” of lived experience as well as the importance of sharing those stories with “strangers” to grow understanding, build relationships, and establish shared values with each other, with the hope of creating a common good. The texts and topics of engagement that led to the event are shared, including: the concept of the “common good” and in particular, David Hollenbach’s The Common Good and Christian …

Faculty Formation In The Jesuit And Mercy Traditions, Mary-Catherine Harrison ,Phd, Arthur Ko ,Phd, Jill A. Turner ,Bsn, Mlis, Mals

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Mentorship plays a major role in engaging faculty and supporting their development and growth within an academic institution. In order to support new faculty members’ success and belonging, the host institution piloted the Faculty Formation Program during the 2022-2023 academic year. The foundation of this mentorship program is based on Jesuit and Mercy values that align with the mission of the university. The program has engaged new and seasoned faculty in shared conversations about their roles as faculty members and their place in Jesuit and Mercy higher education. This paper articulates the foundation and characteristics of high-impact mentorship and describes …

New Approaches For Teaching Advertising: Looking Through The Lens Of Social Justice To Affect Career Behaviors And Choices, Pamela K. Morris, Minjin (Mj) Rheu

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This exploratory study reviewed how a way of teaching advertising and strategic communication through the lens of social justice and as an active agent to impact society influenced student perspectives. Weaving together engaged scholarship and engagement of hope as a framework for investigation, an introductory advertising course was designed to incorporate social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Students were interviewed about their learnings, feelings, and career hopes and choices. Assignments and year end reflections were also examined for ideas of social justice and pedagogical approaches. Findings indicate students are knowledgeable of the power and influence of advertising and are …

Combining High-Impact Practices To Facilitate Hope For Young Adults Transitioning Into College, Isabelle A. Jenkins, Alison Bryant Ludden, Michelle C. Sterk Barrett

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Today’s societal challenges are causing young people to feel less hopeful about the future, negatively impacting their mental health. Educators are called to address this crisis and provide opportunities for young people to experience hope. Jesuit colleges and universities are uniquely poised to do so given their focus on caring for the whole person and the recent release of the Universal Apostolic Preferences, which prioritize “journeying with youth in the creation of a hope-filled future.” High-impact practices at Jesuit institutions could particularly be effective given the ways in which they intellectually engage students and help students cultivate a sense of …

Imagination Grasping Reality: An Ignatian Foundation For Critical Hope In Jesuit Education, Susan Haarman

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

As public faith in higher education faces an all time low, the need for hope to both infuse and be a product of our institutions of higher learning is paramount. Rather than a simple hopeful optimism, Henry Giroux conceptualized critical hope - an educated hope that will form students capable and willing to view themselves and the world through a critical lens and then imagine new ways of proceeding that serve the public good and honor human dignity. Jesuit education, at its best, is rooted in expressions of critical hope with a world-affirming commitment to depth of thought and imagination …

Navigating A Crisis With Imagination And Hope Through The Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm, Rodney R.J. Uzat

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This article examines a Jesuit all boys college preparatory high school’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) provided the school administrative team with guiding principles that inspired imaginative solutions allowing for in-person instruction throughout the majority of the crisis, which in turn offered much needed hope to the entire school community at a difficult time. The article begins with the context of the crisis for the community and then details the experience of the school going into the Fall of 2020 with attention to the process for putting pandemic go forward operating strategies in …

An Invitation To Exercise Hope And Imagination In Jesuit Education, Patrick M. Green, Stacy Neier

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

No abstract provided.

December 2023 Faculty Senate Packet, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Packets

No abstract provided.

Empowering All Learners: The Role Of Cultural Responsiveness In Elementary Literacy Education, Meghan Claire Arbury

Culminating Experience Projects

Instructional strategies used by teachers impact student literacy performance. Students’ literacy skills can improve when teachers incorporate culturally responsive teaching practices that are also high-quality in nature. There is a particular need for these methods to be adopted in elementary classrooms in order to make learning accessible and equitable for diverse learners. Literacy skills are highly social and students’ backgrounds experiences are pivotal connections around which knowledge and understanding are constructed. In the Northwest Michigan region, as well as nationwide, performance disparities among cultural groups are reflected in literacy achievement data (“Grades 3-8,” n.d.), solidifying the need for change to …

Narrowing The Achievement Gap: Culturally Responsive Teaching For African American Students, Haylee Batzer

Culminating Experience Projects

It is no surprise to educators that classrooms are filled with children of all different backgrounds. Most teacher preparation programs try their best to prepare educators to teach students of diversity and support inclusion in the classroom. However, educators are still finding themselves lacking the skills needed to incorporate culturally responsive teaching (CRT) into their classrooms. Students of all backgrounds need inclusive practices to be successful. It is important to all students that they feel supported and seen in the classroom, without these practices schools start to see a decline in graduation rates and an increase in dropout rates. Many …

Youth Identity And Postsecondary Decision Making In A Rural State: Evidence Of A College For All Master Narrative, Jayson Seaman, Cindy L. Hartman, Andrew D. Coppens, Erin H. Sharp, Sarah Jusseaume, Molly Donovan

Faculty Publications

This study examined the normative messages that inform youth postsecondary decision making in a predominantly rural state in the northeastern U.S., focusing on the institutionalization and circulation of identity master narratives. Using a multilevel, ecological approach to sampling, the study interviewed 33 key informants in positions of influence in educational, workforce, and quality of life domains. Narrative analysis yielded evidence of a predominant master narrative – College for All – that participants described as a prescriptive expectation that youth and families orient their postsecondary planning toward four-year, residential baccalaureate degree programs. Both general and domain-specific aspects of this master narrative …

Twelfth-Grade English Teachers' Lived Experiences Of Engaging Struggling Adolescent Readers: A Phenomenological Study, Ruth Ugonna Ebinama

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore 12th-grade English teachers' lived experiences of engaging struggling adolescent readers at a large public school district in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area of the United States. The theory that guided this study was Vygotsky’s social constructivism theory as it relates to engaging struggling adolescent readers. The central research question was the following: How do 12th-grade English teachers describe their lived experiences engaging struggling adolescent readers? Criterion purposive sampling was used to recruit 12th-grade English teachers with struggling adolescent readers in their English classes. Data collection methods consisted of open-response questionnaires, …

The History And Impact Of Education In Virginia During The Civil War Era, Christopher L. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The following dissertation is a study of the educational history of Virginia during the Civil War era, the resulting struggles that ensued, and how these challenges led to a new period of change and reform throughout the Commonwealth. Numerous issues such as academic quality control, enrollment factors, staff shortages, economic turmoil, the dangers that some school grounds faced, race relations, and the aftermath of reform that presented new educational norms to Virginia are explored. This manuscript examines circumstances in Virginia’s educational system during the decade before the war and then discuss the drastic changes that occurred when the war began …