Higher Education Commons^™

A Mindful Search For Basic Writing Identities: Constellating Contemplative Classroom Pedagogies, Classroom Community Circles, And Critical Discourse Analysis In A Cultural Rhetorics Ecology, Elizabeth Edwards Weems

English Theses & Dissertations

Many Basic Writing students have stories which are informed by traumas, othering, and marginalization. Finding pedagogies which address students’ stories, in addition to meeting academic goals, is crucial. Sometimes, students question how improving their reading and writing skills can help them navigate other areas of their education and experiences, especially their lives outside of academia. I have worked to create a kairotic pedagogy which invites students to read and write ‘the word and the world’ (Freire, 1970; 1988). Using Contemplative Classroom Pedagogies, I attempted to follow Freire’s (1992) call to make “teaching a creative act, a critical act, and not …

Narratives From Appalachia: The Current Stories Of Lgbtq Community College Students, Todd A. Cimino-Johnson

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

LGBTQ students are ubiquitous on community college campuses across the United States. The exact number of LGBTQ students is unknown and often their needs are ignored. LGBTQ students face harassment and discrimination at higher rates than other minority groups. This study was conducted to gather the current narratives of LGBTQ students attending community colleges in the Appalachian Region. This study aimed to determine what LGBTQ students are experiencing on community college campuses across Appalachia. Fifteen students took part in a one-on-one semi-structured interview for this qualitative study. All students were currently enrolled in a program of study when the interviews …

A Multiple Case Study Investigating Principles Of Design And Implementation Of Operational Safety Plans For Crises At Colleges, Universities, And Affiliated Institutions, Antonio Passaro, Jr.

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

In the wake of the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy, the Virginia state legislature mandated that all college-affiliated institutions create an operational safety plan for natural and manmade crises. Previous empirical research has mostly focused on documenting faculty and students’ perceptions of campus safety, preparations for manmade crises over natural disasters, and enhancing specific aspects of emergency responses for future incidents. Thus, design and implementation “best practices” for higher education operational safety plan protocols is an understudied, yet burgeoning area of inquiry. To address this literature gap, a comparative case study of five institutions was conducted using a novel document analysis …

Cultural Capital, Habitus, College Persistence And Graduation Among Black Immigrant-Origin Undergraduates: A Basic Interpretive Qualitative Study, Erica M. Richards Chew

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Black immigrant-origin students are a significant sub-population of the total Black college student population, and they are persisting and graduating more frequently than Black U.S.-origin students. This study explored cultural capital and habitus and how they shaped the college persistence and graduation of Black immigrant-origin undergraduates and alumni from four-year postsecondary institutions. A basic interpretive qualitative design, guided by cultural capital theory, was used to explore thirteen Black-immigrant-origin students’ and graduates’ perspectives in-depth; and to describe their subjective meanings, actions, and social contexts from their point of view. Participants grew up with a habitus of achievement that came from the …

The Effect Of Standardised Learning Diaries On Self-Regulated Learning, Calibration Accuracy And Academic Achievement, Avanelle Joseph-Edwards

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The online learning environment is a dynamic yet complex learning modality. Students are physically separated from their peers, they grapple with feelings of isolation, and they may be unable to self-regulate their learning. Studies have shown that self-regulation is related to academic achievement and student metacognitive monitoring in online settings. The present study investigated the effects of a standardized diaries on students’ self-regulatory behaviors, calibration accuracy and academic achievement within an online learning environment. Using this self-monitoring and evaluation tool, forty online graduate students enrolled in a research methods course at a southeastern university in the United States participated in …

When Silence Screams: An Examination Of Reporting Behaviors Among Sexual Assault Victims On Hbcu Campuses, Natasha Robinson

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

According to National Sexual Violence Resource Center (2015), 20% to 25% of college women experience a completed or attempted rape victimization during their college career, but less than 5% of college women file a report with law enforcement (Fisher, Cullen, and Turner 2000). Prior literature indicates that student characteristics/background, alcohol use, and affiliation with Greek life influence students’ chances of being sexually assaulted as well as victim decisions to report. Current research on campus sexual assault victimization and students’ decisions to report has neglected Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) but seem to show that minorities are less likely to …

Predictors Of Medical Students’ Attitudes Towards Abortion And Their Changes Overtime, Rebecca Elizabeth Morales

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

As new legislation is regularly being introduced to minimize Roe v. Wade’s protection of women’s right to choose in a medical setting, it is imperative to study what predictors may have an impact on abortion attitudes within the demographic of medical students, as well as how these predictors impact one’s willingness to provide the service in the future. The current study then, uses data collected in 2000 and 2015 from a medical school located in Virginia, and in collaboration with a research university in the state to examine what factors are associated with a willingness to provide an abortion, as …

Student Global Mobility: An Analysis Of International Stem Student Brain Drain, Margaret E. Gesing

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to understand global mobility patterns of international graduate STEM students studying in the United States. Using data from the NSF Graduate Students in Science Survey (GSSS), this study investigates the political, economic, and social factors affecting students' intent to stay or go, identifying differences based on students' country of origin within World Bank defined categories of gross national income (GNI) per capita. Descriptive statistics identified factors affecting students' intent to stay or go. Chi-square analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) identified differences between factors based on students' intent to stay or go, and identified differences based on …

Student Attitudes Toward The Transgender Community Following Restroom Reassignment, Kelly L. Duggins

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to investigate the effect recent changes to gender specific restrooms had on students’ attitudes toward the transgender community at a public research university in the southeastern United States. To determine if further education and/or inclusion actions should be implemented by university communities, an invitation to complete an electronic survey was sent by email to students at Old Dominion University’s main campus in Norfolk, VA. Participants responded to seventeen statements, each designed to collect data relating to one of the four research objectives of this study. The findings of this study may be used to …

Building Stronger Communities: The Reciprocity Between University, Student, And Community Through Service-Learning, Jennifer Ellen Goff

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

This three-paper format dissertation explored the impact of service-learning on three key constituents: the university, university students conducting the service, and the community receiving the service. Paper one quantitatively explored the impact of service-learning on university students’ perspective through the use of end of year service-learning course evaluations. Students self-reported their outcomes due to participation as it related to professional skills, communication skills, academic learning, values clarification, citizenship skills, and quality indicators of their service-learning program. Paper one also explored if there was a difference between two types of service, direct (e.g., participate directly with the community) and indirect (e.g., …

“Just Young Dudes Having Fun”?: Social Media Reactions To The Odu Banner Incident, Ashley Marie Giraldi

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

“Rowdy and fun. Hope your baby girl is ready for a good time…” This statement was on the first of three banners hung from a fraternity home’s balcony on freshman move-in day. The second banner stated, “Freshman drop off here” with an arrow pointing to the front door of the home. The final banner suggested, “Go ahead and drop off mom too…” These banners demonstrated the explicit implementation of rape culture in the university setting. Rape culture includes humor that normalizes violence against women, such as the alleged joke that constituted the ODU banner incident. This research explored societal responses …

Institutions Of Higher Education And Cultural Heritage Tourism: A Case Study Of The Crooked Road, Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, Terence Michael Gilley

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The southwest region of Virginia has an unstable economy, which cycles through periods of growth and decline. The strategic plans for southwest Virginia propose cultural heritage tourism as a sustainable industry for economic development of this rural region. Institutions of higher education provide education and training for a qualified workforce and community service. This qualitative, single case study on The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail examines the roles of institutions of higher education with regard to cultural heritage tourism for sustainable community and economic development in rural areas. The data sources for this study are the administrators of …

Sweeping The Floors Of Privilege: The Lived Experiences Of University Janitors, Jennifer Laverne Turner

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The university is a privileged social space in that it functions as a pathway to social mobility for students, faculty, and administrators. University janitors, however, have very little chance for advancement or mobility. This places janitors in a somewhat paradoxical position, as they work to maintain an institution that contributes to prosperity for some and perhaps inequality for others. This study explores how the university as a unique social location and social institution shapes the experiences and perceptions of university janitors and their work. The researcher found that janitors are clearly at the bottom of the university hierarchy in terms …

The Impact Of Service-Learning On General Education Outcomes At A Community College In Virginia, Sonya Lisette Landas

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Service-learning is an instructional method designed to cultivate interaction between students and their communities in order to improve the learning process. Although there is a wealth of information available pertaining to the development and implementation of service-learning in higher education, evidence supporting the impact of service-learning on general education outcomes at a community college is minimal. The current study investigated the impact of service-learning on two general education outcomes at a local community college: critical thinking and personal growth (measured by two subtasks on the Student Developmental Task and Lifestyle Assessment). The researcher used an Analysis of Variance with repeated …

An Examination Of Alcohol Expectations And Social Desirability In Fraternity Members On American College Campuses, Pietro A. Sasso

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Males who are members of American college fraternal organizations remain one of the heaviest drinking populations among college students (Wall, 2006). Within fraternities, alcohol use is ceded to social status (Larimer et al., 1997). This culturally ingrained alcohol misuse has confounded interventions and programming to address this phenomenon and response to these attempts have been low or nonexistent by fraternity members. This study investigated alcohol expectations and social desirability among fraternity members. It was hypothesized that as members enter and remain in the fraternity culture, distorted expectations and socially desirable behaviors may occur as demonstrated by differences between pledges and …

Generational Differences Among Community College Students In Their Evaluation Of Academic Cheating, Kathleen E. Wotring

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Values development is an important part of the mission of community colleges, and upholding academic integrity is one way in which colleges advance this mission. Community colleges serve a multigenerational student body, more diverse than most four-year institutions of higher education, and different generational cohort groups hold different values and attitudes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether community college students varied by generation in their evaluation of academic activities as cheating, and to further determine whether such variation interacted with demographic variables and the extent to which personal morality is grounded in a religious belief system. Based …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of Epistemological Beliefs And Moral Reasoning Between American And Chinese College Students, Zhongtang Ren

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

This study investigated the cultural differences of epistemological beliefs and moral reasoning between American and Chinese college students (N=452) recruited from three universities, Old Dominion University in the eastern United States, Luoyang Normal University in the central China and Central University for Nationalities in northern China. A series of factorial MANOVA was conducted to explore the influence of gender, ethnicity and nationality as the independent variables on epistemological beliefs measured with five EBI (Epistemological Beliefs Inventory) scores and moral reasoning measured with two DIT (Defining Issues Test) scores as dependent variables.

No effects were found for gender and …

Collegiate Employers Preferred Characteristics In Potential Job Candidates, Amber S. Landis

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify specific characteristics collegiate employers prefer in potential athletic training job candidates. A secondary purpose was to determine any relationships or differences in employer preferences based on characteristics of the employer or demographics of the institution. A survey instrument was developed to gather background information about the employer and hiring institution, rate the preferences of employers and collect information about the candidate who was actually hired. The instrument was piloted among survey experts and employers who had recently hired an athletic trainer at the college setting and the survey was considered reliable. Email …

Effect Of Instructional Styles And The Duration Of Class Time On The Sense Of Classroom Community Of Military Urban Graduate Students, William J. Davis Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study measured the effect that instructional style, duration of class time, and repeated administrations of the Classroom Community Scale (CCS) had on the sense of classroom community of military urban graduate students (N = 263). The Instructional Styles Inventory (ISI) was used to determine instructional style, and the CCS was utilized to measure sense of classroom community. In addition, this research contained qualitative data that were extracted from a random sampling of participants during small focus groups.

Quantitative analysis of the data showed that duration of class time and instructional style had an effect on sense of classroom …

Chipping Away At The Gendered Wall Implications For Being A Woman Sociologist, Rebecca Fogerty Grove

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what factors may determine productivity among sociology professors and factors that-affect promotions and hiring. In today's academic institutions, the gender barrier is considered nonexistent; however, the actual existence of the gender barrier is often apparent in departmental hiring decisions and university tenure policies. With knowledge of current, often subtle, biased standards, the gender barrier can begin to be dismantled to offer true equality for all potential and current professors. The data was collected in 2001, during the fall academic semester from departments of sociology (n=2 l 8). This thesis looks at the …

A Study Of Faculty Attitudes At Old Dominion University Toward The Use Of Technology In Higher Education, Charles R. Gray

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to uncover and analyze the attitudes, perceptions, and possible concerns of the faculty at Old Dominion University toward the use of new computer technologies in education. Level of experience with the use of new technologies is also examined. This project utilizes a sample of 207 full-time faculty members employed at Old Dominion University during the Spring 2000 semester.

Faculty members between the ages of 24 and 34 had significantly more experience with the use of new computer technologies than did those faculty members who were 50 or more years of age. Faculty members who …

A Comparison Of Cognitive Development Between Whites And African Americans Based On William Perry's Scheme Of Intellectual And Ethical Development, Joan Johnson

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study compared cognitive complexity between student groups based on cultural background and academic class utilizing William Perry's (1970) cognitive theory of intellectual and ethical development. In addition, the study examined the influence of gender and socioeconomic status (SES) on cognitive development. The goal was to ascertain whether Perry's theory, developed from his research on a relatively homogeneous college student population without consideration of the impact of a culturally diverse environment, would be valid for culturally diverse students.

The research design employed to investigate cognitive development used a cross-sectional sample of entering freshmen and graduating seniors attending a predominantly White, …

Computer Crime: Software Piracy Among College Students, Stephanie E. Stockdale

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

There is a limited amount of research covering the topic of computer software piracy. Few studies focus specifically on software piracy, while the vast majority looks at various forms of unauthorized access and computer hacking. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether students possess attitudes that are supportive of computer-software piracy. Here, attitude means the feeling one has about a certain topic. Operationally, attitude is defined as holding a favorable or unfavorable view of computer-software piracy. Eight research hypotheses are proposed. In order to explore the research question and test the hypotheses, a thirty-six-item questionnaire was administered to …

Factors That Affect African-American Enrollment In Urban Agricultural Degree Programs In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Thomas Earl Tracy

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine reasons why few African Americans are in leadership positions in the urban agriculture industry. The lack of leaders will probably continue because there is a dearth of African Americans enrolled in agriculture programs at colleges and universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Six research questions guided the study in its endeavor to determine perceptions about the urban agriculture industry. Data were collected through surveys and interviews. A background questionnaire, developed by the researcher collected data on age, academic interests, urban background, exposure to agriculture occupations, and factors that affected selection of college …

An Evaluation Of An Urban Community College Single Parent And Displaced Homemaker Program, Linda Myers Rice

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of an urban community college Single Parent and Displaced Homemaker program composed primarily of minority women, many of whom were receiving public assistance. The critical dimension of mattering (Schlossberg et al., 1989) formed the conceptual framework for the evaluation.

Program effectiveness, impacts, efficiency and participant needs were assessed. The primary methodology was survey research. A descriptive and a causal comparative study were conducted to determine if there were significant differences in the number of semesters completed and the number of credits taken by program participants when compared to students …

Predicting Academic Success Of Entering Freshmen At An Urban University Through The Assessment Of Oral And Written Language Competency, Karen D. Cobbs

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

In Moores and Klas' (1989) definitive study on college student retention, postsecondary administrators ranked the maintenance of student enrollment second in importance on a list of twenty critical issues facing higher education. Of particular relevance to college administrators has been the retention and graduation of African-American college students (D. B. Hawkins, 1994; Western Reserve, 1991).

Researchers, in considering the overall problem of student attrition, particularly, among African-Americans, have explored such questions as these: Which students are dropping out (Sherman, Giles and Green, 1994; Robinson, 1992)? Why do they discontinue their studies (Austin, 1982; Bohr et al., 1995; Kraft, 1992; Tinto, …

A Comparison Of White Male College Students Attending An Urban Black University And An Urban White University: White Racial Identity And Perceived Comfort With Blacks, Cheryl Lorraine Evans

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in White Racial Identity and degree of tolerance for Blacks between two samples of White male undergraduate students attending an urban Black university and those attending an urban White university. The theoretical framework for this study was based in Social Contact Theory as a contributor to racial tolerance and Racial Identity Development Theory as a factor in human growth toward increasing acceptance of diversity. This was a quasi-experimental post-hoc design using intact groups.

The study analyzed the responses of 182 White male undergraduates using three instruments. A Background Questionnaire, designed …

Grading Teaching: An Evaluation Of Teaching Techniques Used By California Community College Introduction To Sociology Instructors, Lynette Ann Osborne-Estes

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Research on teaching techniques used in higher education report that instructors who use a mixed repertoire of styles promote optimal student learning. However, previous research also indicates that many college professors continue to use the less effective traditional lecture instead of implementing more student-centered methods of instruction. This thesis investigates two general research questions. (1) To what extent do community college instructors utilize teaching techniques that have been shown to promote optimal student learning? (2) What factors, if any, increase the probability of an instructor using the teaching techniques that promote optimal student learning? In order to address these questions …

An Exploratory Study Of Gender And The Process Of Negotiating Academic Contracts Among Sociologists, Miriam M. Newton

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Ample evidence supports the existence of the gender wage gap. One explanation for the gender wage gap in academia may be men's and women's different experiences of the process of negotiating academic contracts. Past literature on gender differences in negotiation suggests that males are more likely to initiate negotiations and are more successful in negotiations than women. This study investigates the process of negotiating academic contracts through a survey of recent PhD graduates in sociology. The research is guided by two questions: (1) What are the experiences of new faculty regarding the process of negotiating academic contracts; and (2) What …

A Comparison Of Graduation Rates For Community College Transfer Students And Non-Transfer Students At An Urban, Regional University, Rory Jay Deshano

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

No abstract provided.