Digital Commons Network^™

Social Learning Remixed: Peer-Based Learning And Social Status In An Online Community Of Practice, Christopher Erin Mikkelson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

People have engaged in peer-to-peer learning within communities of practice (CoPs) for centuries. Thanks to web 2.0 technology, people in the 21st century can now learn together and enact Social status even if they have never met face-to-face. Online communities of practice have since formed around a wide variety of activities, one of which is remixing. Remixing is defined as combining or editing existing materials to produce something new, but leaving each part recognizable as a separate entity. Remixing has recently been recognized as form of digital literacy because users must understand each component to make a good remix. Much …

Black Male Emerging Adults: Investigating Inequalities In Adult Transitions, Social Learning, And Criminality, De Andre' Terrell Beadle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emerging adulthood is a life stage that developed as a result of numerous macro-structural changes in recent decades (Arnett 2015), and which has implications for life course criminality and identity formation (Massoglia & Uggen 2010). Much research has been done in the area of the new life stage known as “emerging adulthood,” however little to no research has been done on how emerging adulthood relates to or changes classic findings in criminology, especially about the importance of disadvantages embedded in racial inequalities. This mixed method study analyzes data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) to examine Social …

Teacher Bias In Elementary School And The Factors That Aid It., Camara Uras Douglas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines teacher bias in elementary school through a thorough investigation of prior research focused on this topic, along with historical accounts of African American education. The basic question of the thesis is: To what extent does teacher bias affect the educational experiences of African American students and lead to a persistent educational gap between African Americans and whites? The study found that teacher bias of African American students does exist particularly those from low-income neighborhoods. Moreover, the biases are based on certain assumptions that can be traced to the historical discrimination of African American in education, as well …

Culinary Competence: Skills And Knowledge Assessment For Dietetic Students, Nancy Harris Buckley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Graduates of didactic programs in dietetics are entering internships with little cooking experience. The Food and Culinary Professionals’ Dietetic Practice Group (FCP DPG) has identified 11 core competencies that were developed as a recommendation to dietetic educators to include more culinary knowledge into existing programs. The purpose of this study was to determine if developing and incorporating experiential learning targeted to the competencies would increase dietetic students’ culinary skills and knowledge at a southern land-grant university. Food and Culinary Professionals’ DGP core competencies were used to guide the development of curriculum, experiential learning, and assessment in the Principles of Foods …

Bringing Students Back To Mathematics: Classroom Knowledge And Motivation, Giang-Nguyen T. Nguyen, Joel B. Goodin

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper reports part of a larger research study that investigated how teachers motivate students to learn mathematics at the college level. Findings from the study indicated that teachers have the power to influence and reinvigorate students who had given up learning mathematics. In the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the researchers analyzed five students’ motivational levels based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to see how each student was motivated by their teacher. Findings from the study could provide some directions for future research on students’ motivation to learn mathematics.

Assessing Male Vs. Female Business Student Perceptions Of Plagiarism At A Southern Institution Of Higher Education, Daniel Adrian Doss, Russ Henley, Ursula Becker, David Mcelreath, Hilliard Lackey, Don Jones, Feng He, Mingyu Li, Shimin Lin

Georgia Educational Researcher

Plagiarism, cheating, and academic dishonesty affect institutions of higher education. This study examines student perceptions of plagiarism within a Southern, Division-II teaching institution. This study employed a five-point Likert-scale to examine differences of perceptions between male versus female business students. Two statistically significant outcomes were observed between males and females involving the notions that plagiarism is perceived as a necessary evil and that plagiarism is illegal. Respectively, the analyses of the means showed that both male and female respondents tended toward disagreement concerning whether plagiarism is a necessary evil and neutrality regarding whether plagiarism is illegal.

Convening Experts On Children And International Criminal Justice, Diane Marie Amann

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Literacy And Citizenship: Helping Students Learn The Importance Of Being An Informed And Educated Citizen, Luke H. Schlegel

English and Creative Writing Summer Fellows

My project utilizes the concept of Understanding by Design, as outlined by education experts Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins, to craft a 12-week curriculum for high school junior and senior English students. McTighe and Wiggins use backwards planning to create long-term learning goals for students. Rather than superficially trying to cover a wide range of material in class, which results in short-term acquisition of knowledge mostly forgotten in the long run, McTighe and Wiggins focus on “big ideas,” that generate conceptual understanding. Ultimately, students will be able to transfer this knowledge to settings outside of the classroom. To help them …

How To Publish: An Author Workshop, Nelouise Geyer, Judith C. Bruce, Deliwe Rene Phetlhu

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Workshop presented on Thursday, 21 July 2016.

This two-part workshop will first explain the process nurses should follow to publish their research in a qualified journal. Writing for publication in scholarly journals can be considered a 'journey.' But writing for publication has, for most, become a requisite of professional practice - for educators, nurses and managers - as a means of communicating the findings of research; sharing new developments, innovations and best practices; and stimulating discussions on local, national and international stages. Knowing what to expect from journal editors and publishers is a good way to make sure the process …

One Perspective On Harriet Cuffaro: A Story Of Engagement And Experience, Celia Genishi

Occasional Paper Series

The author presents her learning process in creating this essay, by highlighting some of Harriet Cuffaro's many insights, which she offers within the context of an unfolding story. She also takes the liberty of weaving her story together with Cuffaro's, interwoven with aspects of John Dewey’s philosophy.

How Challenged And Overwhelmed Faculty Become Supported And Empowered In Curriculum Development, Evaluation And Revision, Meredith L. Roberts

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Sunday, July 24, 2016:

Purpose: To discover the perceptions of faculty related to their preparedness and confidence in developing, evaluating, and revising nursing curriculum and to use faculty's constructions to develop a theory (challenged and overwhelmed) and model of understanding (Supported and Empowered) to support faculty's growth and competence in curriculum development, evaluation and revisio.

Methods: Constructivist Grounded Theory explored and compared the perceptions and processes of nursing faculty regarding their preparedness and confidence in developing, evaluating, and revising curriculum and the processes used for preparation. The Excellence in Nursing Education Model (NLN, 2006) assisted in providing …

The Knowledge Level Of Hypertensive Patients: Do We Need To Do More?, Seda Karakaya

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Thursday, July 21, 2016 and Friday, July 22, 2016:

Purpose: Hypertension (HT) is a worldwide disease that predisposes to many complications. The patient knowledge about HT is important because it not only increases the medicinal compliance but also makes the patients be responsible about their treatment. In this study, we evaluated the knowledge level of hypertensive patients and compared it with various parameters.

Methods: The study included 150 consecutive patients (66-13 years, 73 female), who accepted to fulfill a questionnaire form, which included 18 true-or-false questions about HT and 14 multiple-choiced question about the patient profile. A …

Journalists, Numeracy And Cultural Capital, Steven Harrison

Numeracy

Journalists are tasked with holding power to account; often, that means evaluating and interpreting numbers. But anecdotally, journalists are ill at ease with figures. This shortcoming is worrying both in terms of the quality of news provided to the public, and the implications for informed democratic debate. This paper tests the assertion that journalism as a profession is numeracy-challenged through a small-scale study of the numeracy capabilities of journalism students. Some oft-cited reasons for these shortcomings are discussed, including the pressures of deadlines and the tyranny of the 24-hour news cycle, where the mantra of “never wrong for long” appears …

Student Perceptions Of Scholarly Writing, Shirley Peganoff O'Brien, Dory Marken, Kelsey Bennett Petrey

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Learning the process of scholarly writing, including the significance of peer review, is an essential element in the preparation of students for professional practice. This descriptive research study, using Scholarship of Teaching and Learning methodology, explores one approach to teaching scholarly writing in an occupational science/occupational therapy curriculum. The writing assignment was designed to offer multiple points for feedback and revision and instructional features to reinforce learning. A survey of students [n = 169] participating in this scholarly writing project was conducted yearly to gather their perceptions of learning. The results revealed four key elements: instructional strategies are needed …

Bahar And Zarrin, Bahar, Zarrin, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Bahar and Zarrin are friends living in Oinofyta Refugee Camp. They are both from Afghanistan but fled very different circumstances. Bahar lived in Iran with her husband until he passed, and she was rejected by her family. As a single woman she faced a life with little rights. Despite major health complications she fled to Greece in a boat. She now lives in the camp, struggling with repeated hospitalizations.

Zarrin left a life of comfort and privilege in Afghanistan and misses home greatly. Her husband was a wealthy businessman and Zarrin taught school. Thinking back on what they lost causes …

Facebook Use Among African American And Hispanic Students: An Exploratory Investigation Of Perceived Academic Impact, Sathasivam Mathiyalakan, Sharon D. White, Jorge O. Brusa

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Facebook is one of the world’s leading social networking sites. It is pervasive in students’ lives and can impact their academic careers in a variety of ways. However, little research exists evaluating the use of Facebook in minority academic settings. An early step in this direction is to gain an understanding of how different student demographic groups use Facebook. An interest in further assessment of Facebook’s role in diverse segments of academia motivates the collection and analysis of Facebook-related data from minority serving institutions such as Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). This study presents …

Student Perceptions Of Scholarly Writing, Shirley P. O'Brien, Dory Marken, Kelsey B. Petrey

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Learning the process of scholarly writing, including the significance of peer review, is an essential element in the preparation of students for professional practice. This descriptive research study, using Scholarship of Teaching and Learning methodology, explores one approach to teaching scholarly writing in an occupational science/occupational therapy curriculum. The writing assignment was designed to offer multiple points for feedback and revision and instructional features to reinforce learning. A survey of students [n = 169] participating in this scholarly writing project was conducted yearly to gather their perceptions of learning. The results revealed four key elements: instructional strategies are needed …

Examining Bridges Between Informal And Formal Learning Environments: A Sequential Mixed Method Design, Dagen L. Valentine

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this sequential mixed method study was to identify schools implementing a technology-based engineering design intervention in a way that connects or bridges formal learning environments of the school-day to informal learning environments such as afterschool programs. Further, this study investigated educators’ decisions that enabled or facilitated bridging between formal and informal learning environments. This cooperation and/or linking between informal and formal learning time is bridging. Participants included public schools (n=16) in Eastern Nebraska that incorporated the Nebraska Wearables Technology (WearTec) program at their school, club or Out-of-School-Time program during the 2015-2016 school year. Three of the schools …

Digitabs: Share. Learn. Play, Alfredo Lopez

Theses

This project focused on designing an effective online sharing network that includes video tutorials and music tablatures of any original or pre-existing song, created and shared by fellow musicians. This network encourages people with little to no musical background to perform their own versions of songs by practicing and learning music theory in a pedagogical interactive environment.

Navigating The Waters Of Accreditation: Best Practices, Challenges, And Lessons Learned From One Institution, Tracey Covington Hasbun, Amanda M. Rudolph

Faculty Publications

In higher education, as many as 50% of educator preparation programs (EPPs) look to a national accreditation agency as one way to provide evidence of the rigor and quality of their programs. Although a large number of EPPs find value in the self-study and external review that come with the national accreditation process, the process itself can be daunting and time-consuming. Many look to the literature or to the accreditation experiences provided by other institutions as a means to assist their own accreditation journey. The purpose of this article is to discuss one regional, comprehensive EPP’s experiences with national accreditation, …

Modes Of Mindfulness: Prophetic Critique And Integral Emergence, David Forbes

Publications and Research

As mindfulness becomes more secular and popular, there are more arguments about its purpose and use value. Because of its disparate uses, many proponents of any one side often talk past each other and miss their mark. This paper employs an integral meta-theory that accounts for subjective, inter-subjective, objective, interobjective, and developmental perspectives on mindfulness. This helps categorize modes of mindfulness in order to clarify their purposes and functions within a society characterized by neoliberal principles and structures. It adopts the standpoint of a prophetic critique similar to those critiques of McMindfulness and insists on the inseparability of both universal …

Are Gay-Straight Alliances Working ? Advisor's Perceived Role Of And Level Of Success Of Gsas In Combatting The Bullying Epidemic In South Carolina, Jason Paul Bagley

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological, ethnographic, collective case study examined the effectiveness of Gay-Straight Alliances in public high schools in South Carolina in reducing or eradicating aggression and bullying towards LGBTQ students through the lenses of both queer and critical theories within a framework of social justice. The current study investigated the perceptions of experts and GSA faculty advisors regarding the success of the clubs in reducing or eliminating bullying in South Carolina high schools. The investigation stemmed from the perceived discrepancy between literature on GSAs, which reports that the clubs contribute to a more positive school climate, positive effects on LGBTQ youth, …

Motivation Towards Success: A Qualitative Comparative Case Study Illustrating The Differences In Motivating Factors In Achievement Between Low Ses High Achieving And Low Achieving African American High School Females, Ashanti C. Friels

Theses and Dissertations

For years educators have made attempts to explain the effects of poverty on student achievement. Many have set out to explore methods for better helping students with limited resources succeed academically, thus bridging the achievement gap between these students and their financially stable counterparts. The ultimate combination of poverty and race/ethnicity define major sources of disadvantage in educational outcomes (Maruyama, 2003). Viewing this from a racial standpoint places African American students at the receiving end of low achievement as a result of low socioeconomic status.

The missing thread that could potentially pull this together exists among the population of impoverished …

Breaking Down Barriers: Review Of An Inside/Out Prison Exchange Program In A Jail Setting, Part 1, Tanja C. Link

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

The traditional criminal justice curriculum typically covers the three c’s – cops, courts, and corrections. In addition, students can usually choose from a variety of discipline-related special topics courses to satisfy the requirements of their major or minor in criminal justice. However, what is missing from most curricula for future criminal justice professionals is face-to-face interaction with the very individuals they will spend a good part of their careers with – those who have been accused of or sentenced for law-breaking behaviors. The current paper describes the planning and implementation of an Inside Out Prison Exchange Course in a jail …

The Experiences Of Pre-Licensure Or Pre-Registration Health Professional Students And Their Educators In Working With Intra-Professional Teams: A Qualitative Systematic Review, Diane L. Butcher, Karen Ann Mackinnon, Anne Bruce, Carol Gordon, Clare Koning

Sigma Foundation for Nursing Research Grant Reports

To identify and synthesize evidence regarding experiences of pre-licensure health professional students and their educators on intra-professional teams, and to draw recommendations to enhance policy and/or curriculum development.

Assessing The Relevance Of Statistics And Crime Analysis Courses For Working Crime Analysts, Jonathan A. Kringen, Christopher M. Sedelmaier, Elink-Schuurman-Laura

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Crime analysts study criminal activity and police function to improve performance. Analysts inform operations, aid resource allocation, and evaluate programs. These tasks require high levels of statistical literacy. Given that most analysts are college-educated civilians, college coursework in statistics and/or crime analysis may represent the foundational knowledgebase within the profession. However, little research has attempted to determine if coursework teaches the skills needed by analysts. Underlying this issue is a limited understanding about what technical skills crime analysts regularly use. Analyzing parallel surveys of 98 criminal justice educators and 146 crime analysts, this study compares the skills taught in undergraduate-level …

Card Games Creation As A Learning Method, Birgit S. Bauer

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper explains on the base of a case study how Communication Design students explore, classify and discuss theoretical knowledge by using design methods. We question how the setting and methodology and subject of the class influences motivation and learning outcomes. Based on the assumption that design degree students are mainly motivated when using visual and tactile skills, a course concept that uses design as a framework to learn information-seeking techniques was implemented to learn teach how to classify, organise and discuss information in a meaningful way. The specific procedure, the outcome and evaluation of the course demonstrate that the …

Stemming On Stem: A Stem Education Framework For Students With Disabilities, Jiwon Hwang, Jonte C. Taylor

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

There has been increased attention paid to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics also known as STEM. The focus on STEM has been both educational and occupational. Unfortunately, students with disabilities perform below their peers without disabilities in math and science. The authors discuss issues related to STEM and students with disabilities. These issues include (1) traditional views of STEM education, (2) the importance of STEM education, and (3) students with disabilities performance in STEM. The authors posit a framework for STEM education for students with disabilities and promote the incorporation of the arts to increase students’ STEM knowledge and achievement.

An Analysis Of Japan’S Immigration Policy On Migrant Workers And Their Families, Malissa B. Eaddy

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This thesis attempts to provide an analysis of Japan’s immigration policy on migrant workers and their families. I am interested in exploring the interactions between the Japanese government and foreigners during 1960-2014. I have three research questions: (1) What is the Japanese government policy for migrant workers? (2) What is the education status for the children of migrant workers to assimilate into Japanese society? (3) How are migrant workers and families treated by the Japanese government in terms of the human rights and their national rights? I have selected four books as the primary sources for my thesis, and analyzed …

Dewey Anticipates Habermas’S Paradigm Of Communication: The Critique Of Individualism And The Basis For Moral Authority In Democratic Education, Brian W. Dotts

Education and Culture

This article presents a novel account of a key concept in John Dewey’s reconstructionist theory specifically related to the nucleus underlying his idea of democracy: intersubjective communication, what Dewey called the “democratic criterion.” Many theorists relate democracy to a form of rule. Consequently, discussions of democracy tend to be limited to functionalist theories. Dewey’s idea of democracy establishes an important distinction from conventional theories by developing its radical, critical, evolutionary, and intersubjective potential. I argue that Dewey anticipated Jürgen Habermas’s Paradigm of Communication in his reconstructionist social theory with potential to de-reify institutions and to empower human beings democratically.