Digital Commons Network^™

2021-2022 Graduate Program Survey Report, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of Institutional Effectiveness & Planning.

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

Graduate College Staff --- 3
Survey Methodology --- 4
Degrees Awarded 2021 - 2022 --- 5
Post-Graduation Activity --- 7
Activity During UNI Experience --- 8
Reasons to Attend UNI --- 9
Academic Experience --- 10
Graduate Education Finance --- 12
IE&P Office Information --- 15

Grade Point Average (Gpa) As A Criterion For Admission To Two-Year Nursing Programs: The Impact Of Gpa Use On Student Learning, How Gpa Informs Program Admission Decisions, And What Ethical Frameworks Support Admission Decisions, Luke Green

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The use of grade point average (GPA) to guide and inform decision-making permeates many corners of the educational landscape, including admission decisions into collegiate academic programs. Using GPA in this way turns an individual academic measure into a commodity that can be used to settle a competition amongst applicants. The rationale for using GPA in this way often goes undiscussed by policymakers who select it as a criterion. Additionally, turning GPA into a commodity that unlocks academic opportunity runs the risk of affecting how students approach learning in order to get an advantage over those whom they are competing against. …

Define “Learning Engineering” With The Trap Framework, Ke Zhang, Meina Zhu

Administrative and Organizational Studies

While the term “learning engineering” was first coined by Herbert [1]; it is becoming more salient recently. But there is not a commonly shared understanding of learning engineering as a professional or an academic field. Thus, we explored a range of resources, including scholarly publications and discussions, websites and initiatives of selected professional organizations, resources from related USA government and agencies, recent job posts and learning engineering degree programs to find relevant rhetoric, descriptions, curricula, task forces and other resources on learning engineering. Based on a critical synthesis of the above-mentioned materials, we argue that learning engineering is an emerging …

Education And The Gender Spectrum: Addressing Gender Identity Needs In The High School Environment, Donna Eason

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This phenomenological study explored the experiences of teachers and administrators in addressing the needs of transgender and nonbinary students. Because most current research focuses mostly on the experiences of students, this study specifically investigated the beliefs, behaviors, challenges, and successes of educators. By analyzing the data provided by the participants, teachers and administrators could be made aware of how best to create and maintain inclusive school environments. The qualitative methodology included interviews with teachers and administrators from a charter school and a private school and focused on their thoughts, feelings, and actions regarding interactions with students who identify as transgender …

The Importance Of Mentorship, Sponsorship, And Politics For Women Of Color Who Aspire To The Superintendency And Other School Leadership Roles, Cicily Mccrimmon

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if mentorship and sponsorship could help identify the potential political pitfalls or “hidden rules” of senior-level leadership to increase the identification, recruitment, and retention of minority women, specifically African American women in the role of superintendent or executive at the school and district level. This phenomenological study explored how leadership expectations for women of color have changed over time; however, the narratives illustrate that perceptions related to women of color in senior-level leadership have largely remained unchanged. The absence of the narrative for minority women in leadership, including the limited number serving …

Parent Engagement In A Rural School System In Eastern North Carolina: Investigating Strategies That Will Increase The Engagement Of High-Poverty Families In Rural Districts, Lutashia Dove

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Parent engagement continues to be problematic in schools. Although many schools have attempted to implement parent engagement programs, there are still significant challenges recruiting parents to engage with the school. Numerous studies have proven a strong relationship between parent involvement and student academic outcomes. Despite the vast research on parent engagement, schools continue to struggle with developing a parent engagement program inclusive of all stakeholders. The purpose of this study was to investigate strategies to increase parent engagement in small, rural elementary schools and a 6-12 high school in eastern North Carolina. The participants in this study were parents/guardians, teachers, …

Exploring White Racial Identity Development Within Christian Colleges, Glen Kinoshita

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

Racial identity development is a growth process in which many college students engage as they regularly interact with peers and instructors from diverse backgrounds. As compositional diversity, as well as diversity of thought, lags at Christian colleges, the purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to understand how White students who have undergone significant progress in their racial identity development, describe their process while attending predominantly White, evangelical, Christian colleges. Three participants from three Christian colleges/universities were interviewed, a total of nine, White student participants. One college was located in the Pacific Northwest and two colleges were located in Southern …

Growth: 21 (2022) Full Issue

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

The full issue of the twenty-first edition of Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development.

Advising And Supporting College Students Experiencing Imposter Syndrome: A Christian Perspective, Jeannine Kranzow

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

For Christian student affairs educators, it is essential that the methods of advising and supporting students be in line with biblical directives for a whole and holy life. This paper will examine approaches for advising and supporting students experiencing imposter syndrome. Current research on impostor syndrome is presented as well as a discussion of ways that Christian insight can provide additional guidance and awareness for supporting struggling students. By connecting both biblical wisdom and the current scholarship, a Christian perspective of impostor syndrome, anchored in a discussion on spiritual warfare, is offered. Using this perspective, recommendations for practice are identified.

Living Life Together: A Qualatative Study Of Taylor University's Lifestyle Covenant, Jana Roste

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

Taylor University, a small, Christian, liberal arts institution in the Midwest, utilizes a lifestyle covenant which outlines expectations for campus life to promote character development and fulfill the university’s mission. In pursuit of exploring community members’ perceptions of the Life Together Covenant (LTC), the larger qualitative study, consisting of individual interviews with ten senior students, ten staff members, and ten faculty members, found that participants generally perceived the LTC as a guide or set of expectations to live cohesively at Taylor. This article focuses on the student findings and analyses. Students generally perceive and experience the LTC in a legalistic …

Nature Rx: Improving College-Student Mental Health, Christina Brandsma

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

Christina Brandsma reviews Nature Rx: Improving College-Student Mental Health by Donald A. Rakow and Gregory T. Eells, published by Cornell University Press, 2019.

Finding Jesus In The Storm: The Spiritual Lives Of Christians With Mental Health Challenges, Jeffrey Tabone

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

Jeffrey Tabone reviews Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges by John Swinton, published by Eerdmans, 2020.

Algorithms Of Opporession: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, Jazmin Dantzler

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

Jazmin "JD" Dantzler reviews Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by Stafiya Umoja Noble, published by NYU Press, 2018.

Pulling Back The Veil: What Determines Hbcu Campus Enrollments, James V. Koch, Omari H. Swinton

Economics Faculty Publications

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are among the least researched sectors of American higher education. This article addresses a portion of this knowledge deficit by focusing on the determinants of the full-time equivalent enrollments of 50 HBCUs between fiscal year FY 2005 and FY 2018 and then comparing them to a broad sample of 182 non-HBCUs. The most noteworthy specific results generated by our analyses are: (1) increased recruitment of white students by HBCUs may not hold the key to HBCU enrollment success; (2) the incomes of the households from which students emanate have a major positive influence on …

2022 Annual Report, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Foundation Annual Reports

The 2022 Annual Report from the SWOSU Foundation, Inc.

First-Year Effects And Persistence Decisions: A Moderated Mediation Model Of Coping, Self-Efficacy, And Locus Of Control, Christina Gramatikova

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to estimate the effects of a theoretical model encompassing psychological theories underlying student retention in postsecondary education. New conceptual operationalizations were applied to elaborate Bean and Eaton’s theoretical model of student retention. The influences of student entry characteristics, environmental interactions, psychological processes, attitudes, and intentions toward persistence were assessed using a repeated measures, longitudinal design. Within the framework, persistence is an endogenous variable based on actual re-enrollment into subsequent semesters.Three student samples were drawn from a large urban research university in California. Survey data collected from a first-year seminar and the National Survey of …

An Exploration Of Principal Leadership Practices To Support Gifted And Talented Programming And Academic Performance, Tiffany Deneen Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how elementary and middle school principals perceive their leadership to address the decline in the academic performance of gifted and talented students in their transition from elementary to middle school, addressing a gap in the literature. Transformational leadership served as the conceptual framework to inform the data collection and analysis. The three research questions focused on elementary and middle school principals’ perceptions of their experiences with gifted and talented education, their perceptions of the decline in gifted and talented student academic performance, and their perceived leadership practices to address …

Educators’ Perceptions Of The Implementation Of The Team Model Of Transformational Leadership, Lucas Gomez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of this project study was that middle school teachers in a public schooldistrict in southwestern United States did not understand the principals’ expectations for implementing the team model and its effect on their relationship with administrators the team model regarding the relationship between administrators and teachers. The purpose of this basic qualitative project study was to investigate the perceptions of school principals and middle school teachers regarding the team model and the principals’ expectations for classroom instruction. The conceptual framework for this project was the team model of transformational leadership. The research site was a public school district …

Why So Few Women? A Case Study Of Female Superintendents In P-12 Public Education Systems, Alfreda M. Howard

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the pathways, barriers, and advancement strategies of female superintendents in Georgia. The problem that the study addressed was examining the gender disparity in the superintendency. The purpose of this study was to explore the leadership journey of female superintendents who served in P-12 public education systems in Georgia for the 2021-2022 school year. The researcher created and pilot-tested a semi-structured interview protocol to collect data for the study. Study participants included five current female superintendents in Georgia.

Findings revealed that female leaders are grossly underrepresented in the superintendent role. Graduate degrees and terminal degrees in …

Influence Of Medical Education Scholarships On Reducing Physician Shortages, Brendon L. La Grenade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For more than 44 years, the study site university and the Government of Grenada, a low- and middle-income country island, have collaborated to provide medical education scholarships for qualified citizens. These scholarships aim to provide an education pathway to medical school and a solution to the island’s physician shortage by having the scholarship recipients return to serve their country as physicians. However, the problem of a physician shortage persists because most recipients migrate to higher income countries, primarily the United States. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of scholarship recipients and providers regarding how …

Principal Leadership Style And Teacher Retention In China’S Bilingual Kindergartens, Feng Yang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High teacher turnover affects school development and student achievement in bilingual kindergartens in China. Relaying on this gap in practice, the project study explores how teachers perceive the influence of their principals’ leadership styles on their decisions to stay in or leave bilingual kindergartens in Shanghai. The concepts of instructional leadership, transformational leadership, and distributed leadership from leadership theory were used as the conceptual framework for the study. The research questions addressed bilingual kindergarten teachers’ reasons to stay or leave and, in particular, their perceptions of their principal’s leadership style as a retention factor. In this basic qualitative research study, …

Emergency Preparedness And Response Protocol In South Dakota Public Schools, George A. Seiler

Dissertations and Theses

Providing a safe and secure learning environment is one of the most important components of being a superintendent. This quantitative study examined school superintendent perceptions of safety and the importance of four emergency crisis components, prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery in the state of South Dakota. The study was included 147 school public school districts in South Dakota and two school districts were excluded because they were only K-8 school districts. The study also investigated the relationship of school size and its affect on school safety based on superintendent perceptions of the four components of emergency crisis plans. The results …

"I Am Not Alone": Supporting Teachers Of Color Through Affinity Groups, Marissa J. White

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

While research has indicated that teachers of color need to be better supported by building and district administrators to retain higher numbers, the literature lacks the best practices for targeted support specifically for teachers of color. This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice utilizes a qualitative participatory social justice design to examine the efficacy of affinity groups as a viable practice to support and retain teachers of color. Through a Critical Race Theory (CRT) framework, this study also explores the reflections of teachers of color at a Pre-k – Grade 5 school in a large urban district in a Northeastern state. …

Digital Humanities & Community College Libraries: Opportunities And Challenges, Mia Tignor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Digital humanities study applies technological tools to the study of humanities topics and allows for the exploration of new questions in ways that were not possible using traditional research models. Librarians have been active participants of the field since its inception, as they explore new ways to critically engage with information organization and information literacy instruction, and most research that focuses on the intersection between these fields takes place within research universities . In contrast, there is very little research examining digital humanities work at the community college, which primarily offers associate degrees, vocational certificates, and other workforce based training. …

Administrators’ Challenges With Inclusionary Practices In General Education Classrooms, Tyra Mcbeth Simon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem explored elementary administrators in a southern school district in Georgia who experienced challenges supporting teachers’ implementation of inclusion strategies to support the academic needs of students with disabilities (SWDs) in general education classrooms. The purpose of this basic qualitative study examined administrators’ challenges and teachers’ support with the implementation of inclusion strategies for SWDs. The conceptual framework that grounds the research included Fullan’s six secrets of change and Burns’ transformational leadership theory. The basic research qualitative research design used semi-structured interviews with five elementary administrators through purposeful sampling. Data analysis involved notes, NVivo 12 software, audio, and …

2022-2023 Faculty Senate, Committees, And University Committees, Georgia Southern University

Faculty Senate: Membership Lists

No abstract provided.

Report On 2021-2022 Compliance With Continuous Quality Improvement Legislation, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

A report provided to the Iowa Board of Regents regarding continuous improvement processes in courses at the University of Northern Iowa.

Competence And Challenge: Sorority And Fraternity Life Professionals’ Preparation To Advise Culturally Based Sfl Organizations, Crystal Eufemia Garcia, Hannah L. Reyes, Antonio Duran

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

This qualitative narrative inquiry examined the professional preparation of sorority and fraternity (SFL) professionals working with culturally-based sororities and fraternities. Using narratives drawn from 15 professionals and guided by our conceptual framework, we unpacked important findings in terms of ways participants referenced their limited educational experiences, how they navigated learning within the confines of their professional roles, and distinctions in the value that professional associations and networks offered them. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

A Path Forward: Critically Examining Practitioners' Role In Addressing Campus Racial Climate, Kaleb L. Briscoe, Crystal Eufemia Garcia, Ashley L. Swift

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Student affairs professionals (SAPs) have long grappled with the pervasiveness of whiteness within predominantly white institutions (PWIs). In this paper, we bring together our perspectives to offer insight into how whiteness informs SAPs’ response to racialized incidents and advocacy for Students of Color.

Teachers' Perceptions Of Positive Behavior Intervention Supports And Student Safety Perceptions, Renee Elizabeth Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between how thoroughly School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) is implemented in elementary classrooms, junior kindergarten through fifth grade, and students’ and teachers’ perceptions of safety. An additional purpose was to investigate whether child knowledge of conflict resolution has a relationship with the perceptions of feeling safe. The following questions were explored: (1) To what extent does the fidelity of implementation of PBIS predict teachers’ perceptions of safety? (2) To what extent does the fidelity of implementation of PBIS predict elementary students’ school safety perceptions, junior kindergarten through fifth …