Enhancing Student Engagement Part Ii: Actionable Strategies For The Participating, Investing, And Driving Pathways Of A Continuum Framework, Bryan Matera

Essays in Education

This article describes actionable strategies for the practicing educator relative to student engagement levels (participating, investing, and driving) on a continuum model. The writing is the second in a series of three articles that examine specific and effective actionable instructional strategies that result in increased student engagement, interest in learning, and student self-efficacy standards.

The Lived Experiences Of Educators Leveraging Educational Technology And Connectivism For Fostering Academic Achievement In Higher Education: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Cynthia T. Plueger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of educators at public universities in the southern region of the United States who leverage educational technology to enhance student engagement and improve academic achievement through the application of connectivism principles in learning environments. This study was guided by the connectivism theory, which highlights the significance of interconnected networks, contemporary knowledge, and the interrelatedness of information in digital higher education learning environments. The central research question was: How do educators at public universities in the southern region of the United States describe their lived experiences with leveraging …

Enhancing Student Engagement: Exploring The Participating, Investing, And Driving Pathways Of A Continuum Framework, Bryan Matera

Essays in Education

This article examines three levels of student engagement on a specified continuum and includes actionable strategies that can be implemented by practitioners in the field of Education. The writing highlights the three necessary components that lead to increased student engagement and lands on the work of a specific framework to progress this research forward. As students become increasingly involved in their learning experiences and engagement opportunities, students will tend to climb the student engagement continuum toward a more active role in their own learning.

Understanding Community College Student Perceptions Of Academic Advising, Benjamin Umbarger, Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate community college student perceptions of academic advising for 12 first-time first-generation (FTFG) General Studies students attending a rural southeastern community college. The phenomenological research approach was utilized to better understand participant experiences by exploring participants' perceptions through their lived experiences. Applying purposeful sampling techniques, five females and seven males were identified, with 11 classified as full-time students and one classified as part-time. One-on-one interviews and focus group were conducted in-person or virtually, using Zoom and Microsoft Teams, with each participant to better understand student perceptions of their initial academic advising …

Persistence And Lived Experiences Of Doctoral Students At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Jacob Michael Camacho

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence the completion of PhD degrees and identify obstacles to completion at a Hispanic Serving Institution. Low completion rates are a national and global problem predicted to generate a critical shortage of professionals needed by society. The researcher utilized a phenomenological qualitative study to research the phenomenon through the interpretation of an individual's experiences in various situations (Stake, 2010). This research is important as it aims to analyze programs with high completion rates to find the factors that contribute to or impede dissertation completion. This project will focus on …

Educating Future Leaders In Fraternities: Outcomes From Participation In A National Fraternity Emerging Leaders Program, Meghan Grace, Pietro A. Sasso, Kim E. Bullington, Dawn Wiese, Kathleen Stedman, Xinyue "Coco" Liu, Anthony M. Graziani

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Campus engagement opportunities such as leadership development have potential for students to strengthen their personal skills. As such, fraternities and sororities can play an influential role in strengthening students’ leadership skills. The present study examines the efficacy of a fraternity emerging leaders program, which is an educational opportunity focused on the development of new leaders. Data were collected from participants at three time intervals. Findings suggest students develop across several leadership domains, creating a stronger appreciation of their organizational values and fraternity ritual compared to non-participants. Recommendations for practice are included to address the transfer problem of leadership application and …

Head, Heart, And Hands: A Relationships First Approach To Indigenizing And Decolonizing Education, Sherra Lee C. Robinson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Student engagement within District X is at an all-time low. As District X strives for more equitable learning opportunities, they also work to serve the unique and varying needs of students despite the rising physical and mental health concerns, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that shook students and adults alike, resulting in a global collective trauma and led to the shutdown of schools worldwide in March 2020. These issues are especially prevalent within our most underfunded and underserved populations, such as Indigenous populations. As Canadians, Indigenous relations and calls to adopt Indigenous ways of knowing and being …

Student Perceptions Of Participation In Socratic Seminars At A Paideia School, Kurt A. Schmidt

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This phenomenological study considered Socratic seminars and student perceptions. Research on Socratic seminars considers student achievement, but lacks students’ perspectives. This study’s purpose is to describe seminar participation for students at a Paideia School. Research questions include 1) “From the students’ perspectives, and based on their personal judgments and perceptions, what is it the lived experience for high school freshmen and sophomores who regularly participate in Socratic seminars?” and 2) “What effect does regular participation in Socratic seminars have on students’ perceptions of their own engagement in school?” Fourteen students were interviewed. Analysis yielded four themes: Open Exchange of Ideas …

Lessons Learned In Social-Emotional Development After A Pandemic: A Qualitative Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Lyndsey Eksili

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lessons learned by educational leaders and teachers in the social emotional development of K-12 students after the COVID-19 pandemic. Twelve K-12 leaders and teachers in varying in age and demographics participated in interviews, a focus group, and artifact collection to explore the lived experiences and lessons learned in social-emotional learning and development after the pandemic. Themes were then developed based on those experiences using the qualitative transcendental methods of research and data analysis. The themes discovered through research were student struggles, teacher/staff struggles, and school climate. The subthemes …

A Narrative Inquiry Of Latinx Undergraduates' Participation In High-Impact Educational Practices, Sarah R. Villarreal

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

There are systematic barriers to educational equity in the U.S. higher education system, and the system overwhelmingly fails Latinx undergraduates more often than other students. It is crucial that evidence-based methods be used to reduce the existing postsecondary student success inequities. Scholars have linked specific educational practices to positive learning effects. A growing body of evidence has suggested these educational practices, coined high-impact practices (HIPs), provide amplified benefits to historically underserved students (HUS) and may be an effective tool for advancing equity and closing achievement gaps. The extant literature has neither adequately explained the reason(s) that HIPs provide an academic …

The Power Of Place-Based/Outdoor Education In A Rural District: Effective Leadership To Increase Learning, Engagement, And Belonging Through Place-Based Education, Mary Sewright

WWU Graduate School Collection

The research for this qualitative bounded case study on place-based/outdoor education in Mount Baker School District focused on fourth through sixth grades. The research was done mainly through interviews collecting the voices of 37 students including 16 fourth graders, 11 fifth graders, and 10 sixth graders. Twenty of those students were boys and 17 were girls. A total of nine District staff were interviewed including seven teachers and two administrators. Leaders at each of our Community-Based Organizations from Common Threads Farm, Wild Whatcom, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, Camp Saturna, North Cascades Institute, and Whatcom Environmental Education Coalition making up our …

Engagement Through Emancipation, Empowerment, And Equity: Heutagogy And The 21st-Century Classroom, Stephen R. Perchard

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Low student engagement has become a problem for Engagement Academy (a pseudonym), as well as for most schools in Newfoundland and Labrador. Data indicates that approximately 70% of graduating students are disengaged and feel their educational experience is not adequately preparing them for life in the 21st-century. Issues related to student engagement reflect the failure of the province’s school system to adapt to societal trends and remain relevant in the 21st-century. Although a 21st-century workforce values competencies such as creativity, critical-thinking, and collaboration, traditional school systems value and reward compliance and conformity. Worse, a critical examination of traditional education systems …

Understanding The Perceptions Of African American High School Students On The Development Of Student-Teacher Relationships, Michael Hensley

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Studies have shown the positive associations between academic achievement, student engagement, and student-teacher relationships (Willms, 2003; Roorda et al., 2011). However, limited research exists on the subject of student-teacher relationships from the student perspective, and virtually no literature focuses on student-teacher relationships from the student perspective in the southern United States. This qualitative study was designed to collect and examine the perceptions of African American high school students in Arkansas on the development of student-teacher relationships. Data was collected through focus group meetings held with African American students in two diverse high schools. The constant comparative method of data analysis …

A Blueprint For The Charles City Public School’S “Community Den”, Lisa M. Cooper, Larry L. Frazier, Ian B. Kunkes, Adrienne D. Quarles-Smith

Doctor of Education Capstones

Charles City County Public Schools (CCPS) submitted a Request for Assistance to work with a capstone team that would conduct a thorough analysis of the Community Den program and offer a blueprint that would sustain the Den’s efforts well into the future. To address this request, a doctoral Capstone team primarily utilized qualitative methods of data collection in a 3-phrase approach, including, an extensive process of literature review, asset mapping, which is a strength-based approach of connecting communities with resources, document analysis, site visits, interviews, and focus groups. These approaches allowed the capstone team to gain a better understanding of …

These Hips Don’T Lie: Examining The Engagement Of Latina/O Students Participating In High-Impact Practice Service-Learning Projects At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Felix Zuniga

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

While college access has been improved for Latina/o students, there is still the challenge of graduating Latina/o students with equitable academic outcomes (Bates et al., 2018). Hispanic-Serving Institutions are the sites that enroll the majority (67%) of Latina/o students in college; two out of three Latina/o students attend these broad-access, open-enrollment, minority-serving institutions known as HSIs (Excelencia, 2021). Universities across the United States are aware of the changing demographics of higher education but are slow to change policies and practices to become “student-ready” (McNair et al., 2016). Critical research on how Latina/o students experience higher education practices for student retention, …

Feed My Sheep: A Framework For Lay Educator Faith Formation In Catholic Schools, Ronald D. Fussell Ed.D.

Journal of Catholic Education

In this grounded theory study, qualitative data from 11 educators in six diocesan high schools in the New England region revealed an interrelated framework for lay educator faith formation. Dimensions of that framework include the educator’s relationship to the Church, interconnected processes of prayerful reflection and personal encounter, formative experiences with the lives of students, and formation in service as an outward expression of Catholic school identity. Participants also identified how occurrences of disruptive transitions and crises can unite and galvanize Catholic school communities in support of a common faith. By understanding how these dimensions relate to one another, Catholic …

Comparison Of Manipulatives Effect On Academic Achievement In Preschool Math, Ashley Stewart

Dissertations

Students in the United States tend to possess poor academic performance in mathematics compared to other developed countries. Despite the increased preschool enrollment and attendance, there are academic disparities among preschool students. Earlier exposure to mathematical concepts can positively affect student outcomes. Research supports the idea that early exposure and mastery of patterning skills and non-symbolic quantity knowledge are trajectories of math academic achievement during elementary and middle-level grades (Rittle-Johnson, Fyfe, Hofer, & Farran, 2016). Students who begin with mathematics deficiencies, without proper intervention, tend to continue to lack understanding of foundational math skills that are essential for proficiency in …

Culturally Diverse Student Engagement And Professional Development Needs Of Undergraduate Faculty: A Qualitative Case Study, Christina R. Luther

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This qualitative single-site case study explored how undergraduate faculty members engaged culturally diverse students and determined the professional development needs of those faculty members to engage culturally diverse student populations. Exploring culturally sensitive practices will enable faculty members of institutions of higher education (IHEs) to engage diverse student populations. Determining the professional development needs of IHEs faculty members will assist IHEs’professional developers to implement training that will enhance the engagement of culturally diverse student populations. Qualitative data were collected through interviews from five undergraduate education faculty members at an institution of higher education (IHE) in the southeastern region of the …

Review Of Student Engagement, Assessment, And High-Impact Practice Implementation By Common Book Programs In U.S. Institutions Of Higher Education, Raymond (Wes) Hillyard, Carrie Newcomb, Richard M. Pantele, Andrea M. Perseghin, Leslie Winston

Doctor of Education Capstones

Common book programs are widely used by U.S. institutions of higher education to positively impact student engagement and student retention. This capstone project sought to determine the best practices in common book program assessment and high-impact practice implementation. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory research design was employed to answer the research questions. Data was collected utilizing an online survey and interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data was analyzed using chi-square, in vivo and thematic coding. This project aims to inform common book program administrators and other student engagement stakeholders in improving program assessment, high-impact practice implementation, and first- to second-year student retention …

Addressing The Overall Dissatisfaction Of The First-Year Student Experience In University, Christopher E. O'Gorman Mr.

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

The concept of student experience has caught the attention of administration in postsecondary institutions, so much so, that they have dedicated departments that deal entirely with the experiences of students on campus. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the students’ overall dissatisfaction with their first-year university experience. The focus of this OIP is to provide a solution that will improve the overall experiences that students have. The OIP begins by introducing the organization through a PEST analysis and provides a framework for the problem of practice, utilizing secondary data that is publicly available. Utilizing structuralist theory as the theoretical …

Multi-Touch Books In Higher Education: A Study Of Educational Leadership And Policy For Schools Of Education, Jason M. Cascio

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Technology points to gaps in higher education adoption of learning technologies where decisions are based on a digital tool’s efficacy and unique capabilities, rather than the role they play in effective teaching and learning (Grush, 2019). Higher Education institutions and their faculty postpone technical decision-making. This results in an educational system ill-equipped to meet the needs of students, faculty, and sufficient digital fluency of graduates and the workforce. By integrating current, interactive tools into teaching materials, such as multi-touch books, or iBooks, faculty can meet their students’ learning needs, thereby improving competencies and ability to track their assessment and engagement …

School Leadership And Student Engagement In Core French, Gloria Nwadinma Emenogu

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines the problem of lack of student engagement in core French classes and how school leadership, defined as the school administration and core French teachers, can lead to improved student engagement in core French. Student engagement is described as students’ attitudes to a course, readiness to exact themselves to task, and willingness to participate in class and complete assignments. The OIP further discusses in greater detail what engagement looks and feels like in the junior and intermediate grades of a K-8 elementary school in Ontario, Resilience Junior Middle School (RJMS). With the understanding that …

Best Practices In Student Education: Inspiring Teachers To Make A Difference With Students Living In Poverty, Andrea Steinfeld

Theses and Dissertations

A large percentage of children enrolled in schools throughout the United States live in poverty. Therefore, educators across the country must develop education policies to ensure all children receive a high-quality education. To further support the need for education policy reform, the literature reviewed in this study indicated that students who live in poverty would have better outcomes when they are engaged in school behaviorally, affectively, and cognitively (Appleton, Christenson, & Furlong, 2008; Cai & Liem, 2017; Kelm & Connell, 2004). Moreover, professional development is necessary to provide teachers with pedagogical practices that will improve the educational practices of teachers, …

What College Presidents Need To Know About Student Success, Trevor Francis

Journal of Research on the College President

Advocated is this article is the transformative effect of understanding a student’s unique educational story through dataanalysis and effective interpersonal-questioning techniques. As stories are understood and trust established, institutions can respond by helping each student design an ongoing personalized success plan. The result is the creation of a campus culture of student success where rhetoric, policy, and practice are aligned.

Gender Equity In Outdoor Adventures: How Gender Constructs Shape Engagement At The University Of San Diego, Lauren Wong

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Outdoor Adventures (OA) at the University of San Diego bridges the industries of outdoor education and higher education. This action research investigates the constructions of gender that inform programming and relationship building within OA. Through a survey and focus groups, I collected data from OA professional staff and student leaders. The purpose of this research was to explore how different genders engage with experiential learning in an outdoor setting through a lens of queer theory, by evaluating the engagement of OA professional staff and participants. My findings indicate that the constructs of gender inform the ways students experience their capacity …

The Influence Of Engaging Centralized Student Support On The Academic Achievement Of Student Veterans, Paul Morgan

Dissertations, 2014-2019

As more veterans and service members enroll in higher education, institutions are investing greater resources in the establishment and enhancement of centers to support them. However, little is known about the outcomes associated with utilization of the centers. Furthermore, researchers have consistently aggregated veterans and service members under “student veterans” with little regard for potential differences. Using regression analyses and analysis of variance, this case study explored the effect of visits to a veterans center on grade point average (GPA), the effect of academic need on frequency of visits, and differences in academic achievement for different types of military-affiliated students. …

Evaluating The Way Forward In Online Student Engagement., Patricia Schmaltz, Julia Carpenter, Dan J. Petersen

Publications

Several factors make up the successful instructional experience in online higher education classes. With the advanced offerings in online learning, educational institutions are compelled to innovate all aspects of their online classes (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). The innovation can lead to a higher caliber learning environment. This paper advances a simple model for Instructors to follow, an Instructional Online Model (IOM), with the intent of improving student engagement, knowledge retention, leading to increased business profit. Instructors who model the discussed techniques may find increased student’s satisfaction with their courses, leading to the students pursuing further online education. Technological advancement …

Dragon Ambassador Manual: A Guide For Dragon Ambassadors And Supervisors, Jamie Wepking

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This Action Plan B Project is the creation of the Dragon Ambassador Manual. This comprehensive manual was created to aid in the supervision of the Dragon Ambassadors and to provide information and resources to Dragon Ambassadors as they participate in the student leadership program.

Significant research exists that student leadership programs provide great service to our student leaders, faculty, staff, and campus communities. Implementing this manual to Dragon Ambassador program will allow the involved student leaders to work with prospective students and their peers more effectively while creating meaningful experiences and interactions.

Prospective students of MSU Moorhead will benefit from …

Leadership For Student Engagement, Felicia Angelle

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

There is a need for educational leaders to improve student engagement in the intermediate classrooms in elementary schools. Student engagement has mainly focused upon increasing student participation and students being compliant in completing classwork. Research over the last two decades has examined how without active student engagement, cognitive student learning will suffer. The years of research have identified several causes for why students are not engaged, including low motivation, a decrease in positive attitude towards school, and high dropout rates. If educational leaders are going to make strides to improve these issues then they must dive into the depths of …

Building A Successful Community & Family Engagement Pilot: Advocating For Student Success, Denise Manning

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

I am an educator making a career transition from classroom instruction to a community and family engagement role. In this synthesis I describe a pilot program that integrates what I’ve learned about schools, critical and creative thinking and what is known about successful community and family engagement. The goal of the program is to provide families access to educational opportunities in marginalized social groups and thus help educational resources become more equitable. I hope that the pilot program will help me secure a rewarding job.