Education Commons^™

The Second And Third-Year College Experiences Of Online Nontraditional Adult Learners Following An Online Remedial English Course, Jenny Marie Walter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of nontraditional adult learners (NALs) in online education who persist after completing an online remedial English course. This study sought to answer the central question, “What is the motivation of NALs taking all online courses who persist to their second or third year of school after completing at least one remedial English course?” The theories that guided this study were Knowles’ (1977, 1980) theory on andragogy, Deci and Ryan’s (1985) self-determination theory, specifically, organismic integration theory and cognitive evaluation theory, and Tinto’s (1975) theory on attrition as there …

From Dropout To Doctorate: A Phenomenology Of The Self-Determination Of Individuals Who Persisted To Completion, Nancy Catherine Hamilton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of former high school dropouts in the Continental United States who self-determined to persist to doctoral degree attainment. The theory that guided this study was the self-determination theory with support from the self-efficacy theory and adult learning theory. These three theories framed this study, which sought to discover the motivating factors, life influences, and perseverance required of former high school dropouts who determined to re-enter academia and pursue an education to the doctoral level. The problem this study sought to address was the need to discover the …

A Phenomenological Study Of Advanced Age Individuals Pursuing A Doctoral Degree, Elaine G. Phillips

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the lived experiences of advanced age individuals 62 years and older who chose to return to academia and pursue doctoral studies in accredited doctoral programs in the United States. The theories that guided this study are the self-determination theory by Deci and Ryan and Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, specifically stage eight, Integrity versus Despair. These two theories framed this study investigating the central research question: What are the experiences of advanced age individuals pursuing a doctoral degree? These advanced age individuals pursued, experienced, and completed doctoral degrees or are in the …

The Factors That Contribute To The Success Of High School Students Who Study A Foreign Language Beyond Graduation Requirements: A Multiple Case Study, Tameka Allen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple case study was to investigate the factors contributing to the persistence of successful foreign language learners who chose to continue studying a foreign language beyond the high school graduation requirement. The theories guiding this study are Gardner and Lambert’s 1972 Socio-Educational Model (SEM) of motivation (as cited by Gardner, 2010), Deci and Ryan’s (2002) Self Determination Theory (SDT), and Dörnyei’s (2005) L2 Motivational Self System. The participants were 14 high school students who were enrolled in a level four or Advanced Placement foreign language class. Interviews, classroom observations, and the Attitudes/Motivation Test and Battery (Gardner, …

Academic Performance, Retention Rates, And Persistence Rates Of First-Year, First-Generation, Latino College Students, Jaime Duran

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was to examine the relationships between the efficacy of a Summer Bridge Academy (SBA) and the impact on students by measuring the Grade Point Averages (GPAs), retention rates, and persistence rates of first-generation, first-year, Latino college students who participated in a SBA at Central Valley Community College against like students who did not participate in same program. The independent variable was participation in a 6 week long SBA, which took place during the summer of 2011. The dependent variables were GPAs, retention rates, and persistence rates, and the control and intervening variables, students …

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Impact On Student Academic Achievement., Stephanie B. Philipp, Thomas R. Tretter, Christine V. Rich

Faculty Scholarship

This study evaluated the impact that trained and supported undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) may have had on the academic achievement of students in the first semester of an introductory chemistry course for science and engineering majors. Framed by the concepts of Lave and Wenger’s Community of Practice and Wheeler, Martin and Suls’ Proxy Model of Social Comparison , the study used an untreated control group with dependent post-test only design. Covariates related to student academic achievement and contextual variables were also collected and used to build models for the final exam core outcome variable. Hierarchical linear models indicated that having …

Assessing The Relationship Between Student And Faculty Perceptions Of Student Engagement At Central Mountain College, Brandi R.K. Atnip

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study compared the perceptions of students versus faculty at Central Mountain College with regard to the issue of student engagement. Central Mountain College participated in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement and the Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement during the spring semesters of 2009, 2011, and 2013. The institution was provided with aggregate results from these survey administrations by the Center for Community College Student Engagement. Prior to this study, the survey results had not been accumulatively evaluated by the institution.

The study aimed to determine areas where there was congruence and incongruence between the students …

A Phenomenological Investigation Into The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Teachers Who Have Persisted In The Teaching Profession, Shana Market Norton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study investigated the lived experiences of 12 secondary school teachers from public secondary schools in northern Georgia regarding their feelings about self-efficacy and why they have persisted in the teaching profession. The research questions centered around their perceptions on how self-efficacy influences the academic achievement of their students, on what personality characteristics they feel teachers add to their positive or negative self-esteem in teaching, and on what factors they identify as influencing their professional self-efficacy in teaching. Teacher self-efficacy, the belief in oneself to succeed at completing a task, is a key factor in retaining teachers. Four data …

G93-1182 Best Management Practices For Agricultural Pesticides To Protect Water Resources, Robert J. Wright, J. F. Witkowski, Larry D. Schulze

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses what happens to pesticides after application, factors affecting pesticide movement, and best management practices to minimize the potential for pesticide contamination of ground and surface water.

Users of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals must take appropriate precautions to reduce the risks of moving these materials into ground or surface water. The primary consideration should be whether the chemical is needed. If pesticides are needed, then the characteristics of the chemical, the sensitivity of the application site and the method of application should be considered.

G92-1081 Factors That Affect Soil-Applied Herbicides, R. S. Moomaw, Robert N. Klein, Alex Martin, Fred Roeth, P.J. Shea, G.A. Wicks, R. G. Wilson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Characteristics of soil-applied herbicides are discussed, including site of uptake by weeds, solubility, adsorption, persistence, leaching potential, photodecomposition, and volatility. For best performance, preemergence and preplant herbicides must be placed in the top 0 to 3 inches of soil. Placement is important because the herbicide must enter the germinating weed seedling in order to kill it. Herbicides can be blended into the soil by mechanical incorporation, rainfall, or sprinkler irrigation, depending on the herbicide. Herbicide characteristics that determine their performance are site of uptake by weeds, solubility, adsorption, persistence, leaching potential, photodecomposition, and volatility. An understanding of these factors will …

Rb63-211 Performance Of Alfalfas Under Five Management Systems, W.R. Kehr, E.C. Conard, M.A. Alexander, F.G. Owen

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This bulletin reports stands, forage yields, and other agronomic data on alfalfas of diverse origin or type tested under five management systems at Lincoln, Nebraska.

Narrow-crowned and broad-crowned types were tested. The management systems involved non-irrigated alfalfa-bromegrass tests (a) continuously grazed with steers, (b) cut for hay, and (c) rotationally grazed with sheep; an irrigated alfalfa-bromegrass test rotationally grazed with dairy cattle; and irrigated tests of alfalfas in pure stands cut for hay.