Higher Education Commons^™

A Study Of Undergraduate Personal Finance Courses At Public Universities In The Pacific Northwest Using An Action Research Approach, Melody Bell

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to examine undergraduate personal finance course instruction with a specific focus on student loan debt instruction at public universities in Oregon. This study focused on the central research question: What is the scope, sequence, and emphasis on the curriculum in undergraduate financial education courses and how could it be improved? Four personal finance professors from four public universities in Oregon participated in the study; with one of the universities serving as the focus. The first stage after the proposed study was to audit the personal finance course at the focus university. The …

Growing In Favor With God And Man: Attachment To God And Psychological Separation Of Christian, Millennial College Students, David Allen Gregory

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to examine whether Christian, Millennial college students’ secure attachment to God relationship could contribute to their psychological separation. This question was addressed by examining (a) the correlation between attachment to parents and psychological separation, (b) the correlation between attachment to parents and attachment to God, and (b) the correlation between attachment to God and psychological separation. Bowlby’s (1969, 1973, 1982) attachment theory was used as the theoretical foundation to explore both the students’ relationships with parents and God. Attachment to parents of Christian, Millennial college students attending a Southern Christian college was …

Becoming A Librarian Bff: Three Tips To Connect With Your Students, Erica England, Leo S. Lo

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

The article focuses on the "The Librarian BFF Program for Distance Graduate Students" poster program at the ACRL 2017 conference in Baltimore, Maryland that offers suggestions for librarians who seek to add to their liaison and instruction repertoire. It also mentions that main purpose of the Librarian BFF Program was to provide a personalized service to students and faculty.

The Mediating Effects Of Positive Thinking And Social Support On Suicide Resilience Among Undergraduate Students, Denise Marie Matel-Anderson

Dissertations (1934 -)

Suicide has been the 2nd leading cause of death for 18-24-year-olds in the US since 2011. The stress experienced by undergraduate college students has the potential to increase ones’ risk for suicide. Resilience theory was used as a theoretical framework to examine the interplay between risk and protective factors. A cross-sectional and correlational design was used to assess the mediating effects of positive thinking and/or social support on suicide resilience in 131 college students 18-24 years old who completed an online survey. An indirect effect of self-esteem on suicide resilience was found through positive thinking and social support indicating that …

Success Of Twice-Exceptional College Students Screened By Act Versus Sat Scores And Major Declaration In Line With Academic Strength, Kelly Harrington Smyth

Doctoral Dissertations

Educational outcomes of college students (e.g., GPA, retention, graduation, and years to graduation) of undergraduate students screened and selected for 2e status (2e; giftedness with a learning disability) did not differ significantly (p > .05) based on two operationalizations (of 2e status): ACT or SAT scores. However, significantly more 2e students were screened from ACT scores relative to the number screened from SAT scores (p < .05). Further investigation into academic outcomes revealed that students screened as 2e by the ACT were significantly more likely to be retained after their first year of college when they declared a major in line with their academic strength (p < .05), relative to the number retained by the SAT. Finally, 2e students screened by the ACT were less likely to graduate within six years of initial enrollment at UT when they did not declare a major in line with their academic strength, though the difference was not statistically significant (p > .05). Implications are discussed, and particularly suggestions regarding how these data may improve advising practices.

Retaining Black Female College Students: The Effects Of Meritocracy On Their Ideas Of Success, Tiffany Steele

College Student Affairs Leadership

The idea of merit-based education has plagued institutions of higher education for a substantial amount of time. The notion that ability, talent, and effort ultimately determine the success of an individual perpetuates the false ideology of all people have equal opportunities at success. In terms of education, using a merit-based lens magnifies the oppression of marginalized student groups specifically, Black female college students. Through a synthesis of the current literature, intersections between the use of merit in education, defining academic collegiate success and Black female students in higher education were discussed to explore the potential influence meritocracy has on how …

An Examination Of Collegiate Extracurricular Activities And Career Aspiration Levels, Chelsey Lynn Ingram

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to evaluate the career aspiration levels of college students who participated in college-related extracurricular activities compared to students who did not participate in extracurricular activities. Additionally, this study compared each domain of extracurricular activities (e.g., athletics, the arts, service clubs, etc.) to determine which domain has the highest levels of aspirations. Survey responses provided a representation of participants' intended future career achievements and perceptions of participation in collegiate extracurricular activities. Data was collected from a sample of undergraduate students through online survey responses via Rowan University's SONA system. Bivariate correlation tests in SPSS for Windows were utilized …

The Relationship Between Academic Motivation And Parenting Styles In Multiple Socioeconomic Status Areas, Stephanie Rubin

Theses and Dissertations

Academic motivation is an important topic that has been discussed in hopes to increase the levels within students, especially during college. Many factors can influence academic motivation, including the student's perceived parenting style and socioeconomic status. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between undergraduate student's academic motivation and perceived parenting style as well as the relationship between academic motivation and socioeconomic status of the student. An anonymous survey was given to undergraduate students through Rowan University's SONA system. Bivariate correlational tests, one-way ANOVA tests, and Post-Hoc tests in SPSS were used to determine if the relationships …

How Scholarship Programs Facilitate First-Generation College Students’ Involvement, Maria C. Restrepo Chavez

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

As a first-generation college student, I am interested in the on-campus involvement and experiences of other first-generation college students. First-generation college students are those whose parents did not receive a university degree and tend to come from low-income families. This project explores programs designed to support and enrich the experiences of such students. The Centennial Scholars Program at James Madison University and the Presidential Scholarship Initiative at Virginia Tech aim to increase the socio-economic diversity on each campus. These programs provide students with full funding for four years, mentorship, professional development and social benefits, among others. In turn, students become …

The Influence Of Student Characteristics On The Preferred Ways Of Learning Of Online College Students: An Examination Of Cultural Constructs, Linda Barril

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

The ongoing popularity and increased availability of online college courses and programs has attracted a greater diversity of students. Along with continued female-majority enrollment, increasing numbers of students of traditional college age and students from a variety of ethnicity groups are taking online courses. The prevailing guiding assumptions that have informed much of the online pedagogical and instructional practices have primarily come from theories of adult learning, particularly andragogy, which has been heavily criticized for not acknowledging student diversity. As online education becomes ever more established in higher education, it is vital to examine the diversity of contemporary student populations …

Personalized Outreach To University Students With A History Of Reading Difficulties: Early Screening And Outreach To Support Academically At-Risk Students, Hélène Deacon, Rebecca Tucker, Bradley W. Bergey, Annie Laroche, Rauno Parrila

Publications and Research

We examined whether identification of and personalized outreach to a group of students with a history of reading difficulties would impact their use of support services and academic outcomes. Using a brief self-report questionnaire, we identified students with a history of reading difficulties (n = 175) and a comparison group of university students without a history of reading difficulties (n = 100). One half of the students with a history of reading difficulties were individually invited to visit the Academic Advising Centre; the other students received standard university communications about and access to university support services. Students with …

The Relationship Between Trauma Exposure And College Student Adjustment: Factors Of Resilience As A Mediator, Amber Leih Jolley

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Adjustment to college is an important developmental task for students entering institutions of higher education. More than half of students who enter college report exposure to a potentially traumatic event (PTE), with many students reporting multiple event exposure (Banyard & Cantor, 2004). Many students adjust well to college despite experiencing PTEs, suggesting that certain factors may mitigate the effects of exposure. This study utilized archival data to explore the relationship between the type of PTE, accumulation of PTEs, underlying factors of resilience, and adjustment to college in a national sample of treatment-seeking college students. The data were analyzed using hierarchical …

The Relationship Between Online Students' Use Of Services And Their Feelings Of Mattering, Tracy L. Hart

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

The purpose of this single case study was to examine the relationship between online students’ use of support services and their feelings of mattering using a convergent parallel research design to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Students enrolled exclusively in online classes during the academic year 2015-2016 at the University of New Mexico (UNM) were invited to participate. The survey was based on the theoretical and conceptual frameworks for comprehensive services and mattering theory. Responses provided descriptive statistics and correlation analysis with stories that added to the description of students’ service experiences.

Service-to-service correlations showed correlation strength of moderate, strong, …

Exploring Sexual And Behavioral Health Inequities Among College Students: A Need For Lgb-Specific Risk Reduction, Todd M. Sabato

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Many studies have examined differences in sexual behavior based upon self-identified sexual orientation, with results often indicating that those with same-sex partners engage in greater risk behaviors than those with opposite sex partners. However, few of those studies consisted of large, national sample studies. To address that gap, the present study examined the relationship between sexual orientation and both behavioral and sexual health outcomes in a national sample of U.S. college students. The Fall 2012 through Spring 2014 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment was used to examine behavioral and sexual health related responses from self-identified heterosexual, gay, …

Real Data Is Messy... And Manageable, Beverly Wood, Carl Clark

Publications

Using real data in an introductory statistics course is a delicate balance between reality and manageability. The internet is awash with data that is useful for students to answer questions of interest to them but it is not always formatted as neatly as textbook data. The ASA's recently endorsed GAISE College Report 2016 points to the plausibility of considering multivariable thinking even if only at a rudimentary level. With both messy and multivariable data in mind, we present some activities/projects and sources for data to give introductory students the opportunity to engage with real data.

Specifications Grading In A First Course In Abstract Algebra, Mike Janssen

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Specifications grading offers an alternative to more traditional, points-based grading and assessment structures. In place of partial credit, students are assessed pass/fail on whether or not they have achieved the learning outcomes being assessed on a given piece of work according to certain specifications, with limited opportunities for revision of non-passing work. This talk will describe the learning outcomes and specifications grading system I used in my Fall 2016 abstract algebra course, as well as student responses.

Student Awareness And Use Of Rubrics In Online Classes, Patricia Haught, Terence C. Ahern, Laurie Ruberg

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The design, development and deployment of online instruction has become standard practice. The focus of the study was on student perceptions of course rubrics and not on the rubrics, themselves, or the instructors. In order to improve student engagement online we conducted an exploratory study of the awareness and perceptions of course rubrics. Fifty graduate students completed an online survey at the end of the semester about their awareness and perceptions of course rubrics. All students reported that they were aware that course rubrics existed. They indicated that they had learned about this information through the course syllabus, professor announcements …

Integrating Lecture And Laboratory In Health Sciences Courses Improves Student Satisfaction And Performance, Kevin E. Finn, Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Zi Yan

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Students often struggle in introductory health sciences courses; some students have difficulty in upper level classes. To address this, we converted three lecture/lab courses, traditional firstyear Anatomy and Physiology (A&P I), upper level Biomechanics, and upper level Microbiology to an integrated studio model. We used the Student Assessment of Learning Gains perceptual survey to assess student and instructor reactions to the change and analyzed rates of unsatisfactory grades and quiz performance. Reaction (220 students, 15 instructors) to the new model was highly positive, and performance improvement was seen. Student perceptions were consistent across courses and agreed closely with instructor perceptions. …

A Case For Collaboration: A Manual For Bringing The Collegiate Tutoring Model To The High School Level, Veronica A. Beaupre

Honors Theses

Colleges across the United States have peer tutoring centers designed to support diverse student bodies in their efforts to learn. At the surface level, peer tutoring provides tailored one-on-one instruction that meets the varied learning needs of a large learning community. In addition, peer tutoring has been shown to benefit not only the tutees coming to the center for assistance, but also increase the performance of tutors and change the learning culture of the rest of the learning community. As a powerful resource, the collegiate peer tutoring center model would greatly benefit high schools across the United States, who also …

The Impact Of Sexual Assault On College Students' Daily Occupations: A Phenomenological Approach, Lee Ann Hodge

Online Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated that 1 in 4 women experience sexual violence while in college (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2006), which may result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Occupational therapy has been used to provide interventions for PTSD, but there is a gap in the literature addressing occupational therapy intervention for college students who have experienced sexual assault. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to inquire into students’ lived experiences of daily occupations while in college after having experienced sexual assault, through thematic analysis of data from two interviews conducted in Kentucky and Ohio. Six meaningful themes were developed: changes in …

Speaking Out & Speaking Up: Xinjiao Perspectives, Eng Fong Pang, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Contents: A Singaporean in Xinjiang by Wong Ee Vin; Sex for Sale and Second Wives by Xue Jiarong; Singapore Families: Mixed Salad or New Rojak? by Darren Lim; Singaporean-Burmese, Burmese-Singaporean or Both? by In Jin Zaw; Foreign Workers: Seen but not Heard by Mohammad Muzhaffar & Rohith Misir; Wheel You Ride? by Khew Pei Xuan; Gaelic Kallang Roar by Kate Whyte; Gaming Virtual Reality, Seriously by Lin Junkang & Low Kai Loon; Cyber Vigilantes: Mobs or Cops? by Timothy Lim & Hermanth Kumar; Online Dating: Waiting for the Stars to Align by Alex Cherucheril & Muhammed Ismail; Tying the Knot, …

Making Sense Of Life @ / & Smu: A Partial Guide For The Clueless, Eng Fong Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This volume provides unexpectedly heartwarming and heartbreaking insights into the interior lives and thoughts of SMU business graduates. It is both a paean to and an indictment of Singapore’s education system and its excessively powerful formative impact on individual lives, family relationships, and Singapore society as a whole. The youthful contributors overwhelmingly accept life aspirations imposed by the expectations of family, society and self, which they themselves recognise are uniform and limiting. Their intensely personal reflections, unleavened by humour, lay bare the contradictory liberating and homogenising effects of an undergraduate business education (not peculiar to SMU or Singapore only), while …

Is It Possible To Change The Way College Students Think About Stress? The Benefits Of A Stress Management Course, Jennifer Wegmann, Rachel A. Moshman, Lily Rubin

Research Days Posters 2016-2019

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of a stress management course on college students’ stress mindsets. Stress mindset encompasses the beliefs one holds about stress. Those who view stress as beneficial have a stress-is-enhancing mindset, while those who view stress as detrimental have a stress-is-debilitating mindset. Subjects enrolled in a physical activity course (control group, n=25) and a stress management course (n=24) possessed a neutral stress mindset at baseline. Students in the intervention group showed a significant shift to a more stress-is-enhancing mindset by the end of the semester. Students in the control group did not …