Education Commons^™

The Role Of Leadership Experience In Self-Authorship Development: A Qualitative Case Study, Anna Pressler

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

Marcia Baxter Magolda’s research showed development of self-authorship typically occurred around 30 years of age. However, some programming and experiential learning presented opportunities to accelerate self-authorship development in college. Baxter Magolda emphasized the importance of self-authorship in the formative years of college and post-graduation with significant life decisions of academic major, career choice, and relationships. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the role leadership experience played in development of self-authorship in college. Previous research touted multicultural programming, developmental advising, challenging classroom environments, and living-learning community models as ways to promote self-authorship development, but little research …

Institutional Crisis Readiness As Perceived By Small College And University Senior Student Affairs Officers At Naspa Member Institutions, Philip D. Covington

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

The purpose of this study was to examine current readiness plans of small colleges and universities through the eyes of Senior Student Affairs Officers and develop recommendations for institutional use. Plans were examined across both institutional size and type to gauge institutional readiness, and commonalities were sought in the areas of plan development and maintenance. This explanatory mixed-methods study utilized survey research methodology and phone interviews. Following the initial survey administration, five respondents participated in phone interviews focused on the development and maintenance of institutional crisis management systems. Unexpected delays in the research necessitated a second administration of the survey …

Exploring Chinese International Students’ Perceptions Of Their Experience In An Intensive English Program At A Us Midwestern University, Yishi Long

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

This phenomenological study described Chinese students’ learning experiences in an Intensive English Program at a U.S. public university. Its main purpose was to investigate whether Chinese students think this program help them transition to American academic and social environment more smoothly.

The researcher adopted purposive sampling because there were selection criteria: (a) Chinese Intensive English students, (b) not in the Partnership Degree Programs, (c) 19 years of age or older, and (d) enrolled in 2013 spring academic semester at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The sample was 10 students, five males and five females, from Basic Level to Advanced Level.

The …

Exploring The Construct Of Social Integration In A Community College Environment, Scott Mertes

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

Among current retention models, Tinto’s Interactionalist Model has reached near paradigmatic status. When his model has been applied to two-year college settings, the social integration results have been inconsistent. This has led Maxwell (2000) and Deil-Amen (2011) to suggest that a different construct of social integration exists in community colleges, and that this construct may not be related to the traditional construct of social integration in four-year university settings. The current study sought to ascertain whether these two constructs of social integration were related. A random sample of two-year college students were asked to complete a survey consisting of questions …

Exploring Tribal/Ethnic Inequality In The Allocation Of Campus Housing To Students In A Kenyan Public University, Diana C. Awuor

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

Kenya has 42 ethnic groups. The importance of tribal affiliations in the culture has led to reports of ethnic inequality in job distributions, service provision and resource allocation. Higher education institutions (HED) have not been left out in this. This descriptive/exploratory study focused on government/public HEIs with the aim of knowing the perceptions of students regarding the allocation of on-campus housing and how ethnicity influences the process, if any. The sample was made up of 100 students currently enrolled at a public university in Nairobi, Kenya.

The researcher used nonrandom purposeful sampling because there were specific characteristics that the sample …

The Role Of The Community College President In Fundraising: Perceptions Of Selected Michigan Community College Presidents, Matthew W. Miller

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

This multiple case study examines the role of the community college president in fundraising as perceived by selected Michigan community college presidents. Over the past few decades, fundraising from private sources has become increasingly important in the fiscal landscape of community colleges. Pfeffer and Salancik’s (1978) work in resource dependence theory provides a theoretical framework for this study. In a resource dependent environment, community colleges are changing their activities in an effort to pursue alternative revenue sources. Using a qualitative approach, data from interviews were analyzed to examine the perspectives of four presidents regarding their overall leadership role in fundraising …

The Effects Of Parental Involvement On The College Student Transition: A Qualitative Study At A Large Midwestern University, Lauren Edelman

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

This qualitative research studied the phenomenon of parental involvement in the college transition process and sought to understand if students perceived they were affected, relative to the development of independence and autonomy, by the amount of parental involvement they experienced during this transition. Six traditional college freshmen were interviewed and asked about their relationships with their parents, their parent’s involvement during the college search, application, and transition process, and how they perceived this involvement affected their development of independence and autonomy.

This study explored the effects of parental involvement as students transitioned from high school to college. The study looked …