Exploring The Relationship Of The Noncognitive Variables Of Grit And Mindset In Baccalaureate Nursing Students And Their Impact On Academic Success, Alecia Hollis

Dissertations

The study aimed to evaluate how the noncognitive variables of grit and mindset could impact the academic success of baccalaureate nursing students. With the present and growing shortage of nurses, attrition within nursing programs is cause for concern. Attrition is a multifaceted problem; however, academic failure is one contributing factor. While cognitive factors, such as the standardized aptitude test (SAT), pre-nursing science GPA, pre-nursing GPA, and standardized entrance exams (Al-Alawi et al., 2020; Chisholm-Burns et al., 2021), have traditionally been used for admission criteria, increasing evidence suggests that noncognitive factors, like grit and mindset, play a crucial role in academic …

An Exploration Of Literacy Instruction In Higher Education Programs In Missouri, Melinda Odom

Dissertations

Literacy supports all content areas and is crucial to the academic achievement of all students (Birdyshaw et al., 2017). The International Literacy Association (ILA, 2017) posits that teachers are the most crucial factor in content and pedagogical achievement. The ILA (2019) stresses that students have a right to a highly effective and knowledgeable educator who can provide evidence-based reading instruction. Research illustrates that students who do not learn to read by the third grade continue to struggle throughout school (Rickenbrode & Walsh, 2013). Rickenbrode and Walsh (2013) confirm that most of these students will remain poor readers and are more …

The Undocu-Competence Of College And University Websites: A Lonestar State Analysis, Karina Castro-Pavon

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the websites of Texas public four-year, private four-year, and two-year institutions of higher education (IHEs) to determine the extent to which website content corresponds with the recommendations of undocumented scholars and supporters. The study aimed to investigate whether the website content differs based on various institutional-level characteristics and to identify any relationships between contextual-level factors that may affect the information presented on websites. The study answered the following research questions: (1) To what extent does the information presented on Texas IHEs' institutional websites align with the Institutional Undocu-Competence (IUC) framework? (2) Does …

Perspectives Of College Students With Disabilities Regarding Their High School Transition Experience: Notes For High School Transition Planning, Lindsay Hartzler, Kitty Dong, Andrew Johnson Kliethermes, Kaitlyn Sandheinrich, Mark Wheatley

Dissertations

Students with disabilities face many challenges as they transition to postsecondary education. These students are often unprepared for the rigor of postsecondary academics; they often lack self-efficacy skills and have limited awareness of postsecondary supports or cannot successfully access them. This study aims to give voice to college students with disabilities to inform practices of high school personnel involved with transition and higher education professionals supporting them. Using Kohler’s Transition Taxonomy 2.0 (2016), researchers sought to study the perspectives of eleven college students on their high school transition experiences in the areas of academic preparedness, self-advocacy skills, and experiences with …

Exploring External Engagement In Higher Education Through Defining Partnerships, Colleen Reaney

Dissertations

This research study has been designed to be an evergreen project to help higher education institutions define their external partnerships. The action research model has been used to create and test a model of external engagement, which was later redefined as the Reaney Model of External Engagement with the intent for continuous improvement. Further modification of this research study will need to be tested to strengthen the Reaney Model of External Engagement core while considering external factors that create challenges within the higher education space. Challenges that may arise to help higher education institutions clearly define external partnerships may include, …

Persistence Of Female Faculty In Stem, Andrea Constantinou

Dissertations

The lack of women entering certain STEM fields impacts female representation in research faculty, teacher faculty, and leadership positions in higher education. Through a narrative inquiry methodology utilizing the theoretical paradigms of self-determination theory and relational autonomy, this study extended understanding of the factors that motivate persistence for women in certain STEM fields. While prior research focused on understanding the barriers to retention, this study sought to identify the factors motivating retention for women in certain STEM fields. The results of this study contribute to understanding the motivating factors that influence a woman’s persistence in STEM. The data gathered from …

Black Students Matter: A Phenomenological Approach To Exploring Sense Of Belonging Among Black Students Attending A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Alison K. Chandler

Dissertations

As the number of Black college students who have enrolled in federally designated Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) has risen, it has become necessary to examine how their sense of belonging has been fostered, particularly given the educational disparities and equity gaps in retention, persistence, and graduation rates. Furthermore, the focus on initiatives geared towards Latinx students may contribute to feelings of inadequacy among Black students, which is compounded by racialized experiences that have occurred in educational settings both prior to and during college. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of nine Black undergraduate students at a private four-year HSI in the …

Undergraduate Student Sense Of Belonging And Edtech Tool Engagement: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Virtual Campus Experience, Veronica Wilson

Dissertations

The contemporary postsecondary learning experience is heavily mediated by educational technology (EdTech) tools and yet little is known about the ways in which these tools impact student engagement and sense of belonging, two indicators which are important to student persistence and graduation. Using Strayhorn’s (2023) critical socioecological sense of belonging framework, this convergent mixed methods study offers insights into these relationships by examining student engagement with EdTech and student sense of belonging and the impact of student traits on the relationship between EdTech and sense of belonging. This study was conducted at a private, broad access Hispanic-Serving Institution in the …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Instructional Modality And Pedagogy Licensure Exam Scores In Post-Baccalaureate Educator Preparation Programs In Indiana, Kelly Eckel

Dissertations

The efficacy of the modality of instruction employed in higher education institutions has been a point of contention among students, faculty, administration, and other stakeholders in the educational realm. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online and hybrid instruction has become a valued and desirable option for Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) to offer for recruitment and retention purposes. The effectiveness of varying modalities in relation to teacher licensure exams has been limited in research and can serve as a critical quantitative measure for EPPs to assess. This longitudinal study examined the relationship between instructional modality and pedagogy teacher licensure exam scores in …

First In My Family: Overcoming Obstacles And Utilizing Resources To Successfully Complete The Educational Journey, Milana Tarbuk Migic

Dissertations

First-generation college students encounter many hardships when trying to persist throughout their educational journey. They are expected to be successful in navigating their careers, family life, and school – all without anyone else’s experience to reference. When a student is the first in their family to go to college, they are expected to succeed with a lack of understanding the process. This qualitative study explores what assets first-generation students have and apply in their college experience that contribute to their persistence. This research is guided by Dr. Tara Yosso’s Cultural Wealth Model which examines many forms of cultural capital that …

A Program Evaluation Of The Necessary Attributes, Accommodations, And Resources Neurodivergent Students Require For Success In Higher Education, Barbara Muñoz

Dissertations

Without academic resources and accommodations, neurodivergent students with mild to moderate Learning Disabilities (LD) may be unable to navigate the academic challenges and rigor associated with college success. I used a mixed-methods research design to collect data from various stakeholders to determine the supports neurodivergent students with LD need to be successful in college. My findings indicated students need accommodations for their learning differences, access to assistive technology, access to counseling or mental health services, and access to specialized support personnel to be successful. I recommended a policy to ensure neurodivergent students and their caregivers are aware of post-secondary institutions …

Hear Their Voices: Black Male Student Perceptions Of Retention Initiatives At An Hsi In The Midwest, Joshua Watson

Dissertations

The enrollment of Black male students in colleges and universities over the last 30 years increased yet Black male retention rates have not increased proportionately to the enrollment rates of Black male students. Many colleges and universities recognized the importance of increasing Black male retention and invested millions of dollars in Black male retention initiatives, mentorship initiatives as well as hiring additional staff dedicated to Black male retention. Black male students use a variety of social support systems and coping strategies to persist in college despite facing economic, social, and political barriers to persistence. However, many Black male retention initiatives …

The Fourth Wall Of Dialogue: A Co-Constructive Collaboration On Bipoc Student Sense Of Belonging In Higher Education, Valarie Lindsey

Dissertations

Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students’ sense of belonging (SOB) at higher education institutions has decreased over the last 30 years despite numerous initiatives aimed at increasing a sense of belonging for this group of students and addressing the challenges they face from various intersectionalities including cultural biases, gender marginalization, and racial subjectivities. Sense of belonging is often subjective in nature because it refers to an individual's lived experience, it is important for higher education institutions to tailor their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive (DEI) initiatives to meet the needs of the students on their campus. This initiative should include …

Ripple Of Hope: Understanding The Lived Experience And Academic Achievement Of Latinx Students At Arrupe College And Dougherty Family College: A Case Study, Richard P. Virgin

Dissertations

One of the most common and important entry points into higher education for Latinx and other underrepresented students is through community college. However, national completion rates for Latinx community college students have been trailing their white peers. This gap in academic achievement has prevailed since the 1990s. The trailing rates of degree completion for Latinx students can lead to lower lifetime salary earnings, lack of career advancement, greater risk of losing employment, and an increased chance of living in poverty. However, a successful community college model may be seen as a disruptor in the educational sector due to its much …

Black Genius: An Achievement Distortion, Brenda Burgo

Dissertations

Is the achievement gap real? Using a mixed-methods approach, this study reframed standardized testing through a Quantitative Critical and Black Critical lens. It interrogated the deficit framing of Black student achievement by asking the following questions: (1) To what extent do the aggregated standardized test scores for Black students in California correlate with other measures of achievement? Included in this analysis are: (a) To what degree does the ratio of Black students relate to the achievement variables? and (b) To what extent did COVID impact this correlation? (2) What beliefs do Black educators have regarding the standardized test scores of …

From Counterspaces To Community:A Qualitative Case Study Analysis Of Black Community Making At A Pwi, Charles Watkins

Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined how Black college students build and maintain a sense of community at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Informed by relational sociological methodology and the conceptual framework of Black placemaking, this study foregrounded the nuanced process of community building, focusing on the interplay between Black students and the spaces—physical and digital—they cocreate collectively. This study particularly emphasized the significance of the Black Student Union (BSU) as a foundational Black student organization at PWIs. The following lines of inquiry guided this study: (a) How do Black undergraduate students at a PWI define the Black community? (b) What …

Defining Experiential: Higher Education Educator Perspectives On Experiential Education Criteria And Experiential Learning Forms, Paul Gaszak

Dissertations

In the field of experiential education, there is a general understanding that concepts and definitions of experiential education and experiential learning differ by individuals, departments, organizations, and institutions. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive research study was to gather the perspectives of individual experiential educators across higher education (n = 121) on what they perceive to be experiential education’s criteria and what forms of educational methodologies qualify as experiential learning forms. The findings demonstrated inclusive perspectives regarding both criteria and forms, such as receptiveness to experiential education being able to occur within classrooms, in short durations, and without third-party participation. …

Burnout And Work Fatigue In Contingent Faculty During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Gina Dimartino

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic and immediate shift to remote learning had a major impact on faculty and students in higher education institutions (HEIs). As a result of the pandemic, many stakeholders in HEIs have experienced burnout and work fatigue, specifically, contingent/adjunct faculty. Contingent/adjunct faculty comprise a majority of faculty who serve students in colleges and universities across the country.

As the needs of students increased during the pandemic, contingent/adjunct faculty experienced increased workloads due to the additional support needed by diverse and challenged students. This further intensified the unique challenges faced by contingent faculty that existed prior to the pandemic in …

Experiential & High Impact Learning As Catalysts For Change: Exploring The Historical Inquiry Process And Experiences Of High School And College History Educators, Brian Thomas

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study explores how high school and college history instructors’ perspectives of experiential learning opportunities and high-impact practices influence their epistemic beliefs as history teachers. The research considers educators’ pedagogical practices to align inquiry and historical thinking with experiential learning opportunities and high-impact practices (HIPs). This study promotes the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) notion that college success is not determined by earning a degree but by becoming a civic-minded, engaged graduate. Kuh (2008a) and the AAC&U created the HIPs framework to transform higher education and prepare students to meet the challenges of a changing global world. …

In What Ways Do Perceptions By Faculty, Students, And Advisors In An Urban University Contribute To Undergraduate Student Success?, Carla Jordan

Dissertations

This study employs a mixed-methods approach to explore perceptions of academic advising among faculty, advisors, and undergraduate students at an urban university in the Midwest, focusing on its implications for student success. Utilizing Creswell’s research design framework, the research integrates quantitative and qualitative data collection methods to understand the relationship between academic advising and student outcomes.

Informed by Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, the study examines how beliefs, behaviors, and environmental factors shape academic experiences and success. It employs the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) from George Kuh’s student engagement framework as a quantitative tool to measure student engagement and …

"There Is Power In Being Out": A Three Article Approach Celebrating The Experiences Of Queer University Leaders, Andrew R. E. Lorenzana

Dissertations

Institutions of higher education were historically built to serve a wealthy, White, straight male student population and the leaders of these institutions still largely reflect these demographics. This project specifically aims to celebrate and amplify the life and career of university administrators who identify within the LGBTQ community. Mainly through the use of a portraiture methodology, this three-article study attempts to examine the ways in which LGBTQ identity and career influence one another.

Worldmaking and narrative will be used as a theoretical frame to help analyze the ways in which the telling of a queer individual’s story makes the world …

Enhancing The First-Year Experience Program For Community College Students: Creating A Cohort Model To Encourage Success, Engagement, And Sense Of Belonging, Vicky Herbel, Christina Cox, Amy M. Koehler, Kim Mercurio, Barbara Stratman

Dissertations

Community Colleges are facing significant challenges to enrollment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impending enrollment cliff which will require higher education administration to adapt, get creative, and lead change in recruiting and retention strategies. Using the Sense of Community Theory (Serason, 1974) and the Involvement Theory (Astin, 1984), this study aims to evaluate student success, engagement, and sense of belonging. Through a qualitative comparative case study, students in a Men of Color (MOC) cohort, a pre nursing (NUR) cohort, and a baseline group of students in the standard college success seminar course enrollment were evaluated using in vivo, …

Who Cares?! Fostering Inclusive And Empowering Environments For Black Students In Predominantly White Institutions: Strategies For Retention And Cultural Engagement, Joel Mandell Stancer, Danielle Allen, Angela Haywood-Gaskin, Kelly Atkins, Rhonda Lingard, Kuriston White-Dunlap

Dissertations

This research focuses on the critical components of caring relationships and how they relate to first-generation Black students’ achievement in higher education. It will reveal how staff-led collegiate programming could benefit first-generation Black college students by allowing them to establish caring relationships and mentorships that allow them to construct a solid support system that is easily accessible to them from the moment they begin college until graduation.

Using data collected from interviews with current college students enrolled in a retention program at a PWI (Predominately White Institution) and in connection with a conceptual framework informed by theorists Nel Noddings, Vincent …

My Story Is In The Structure: An Autoethnographic Study By An Instructional Designer Working In A Centralized Academic Reporting Line, Pamela Williams

Dissertations

Although not officially named in the shared governance of an institution, instructional designers play an important role as they collaborate with administrators and faculty to create high quality, regulatory-compliant courses for enrolled students. Instructional designers working in centralized, academic reporting units may be well-positioned to advance the work of institutions to maintain good standing with the industry and regulatory bodies. To illustrate the challenges, opportunities, and strategies employed by an instructional designer working in such a position, an autoethnographic study was conducted to elucidate how shared governance influences, empowers, and disempowers an instructional designer’s ability to lead and collaborate on …

The Pivot To Online Learning: A Case Study Of Efl Student Teachers’ Learning Experiences And Perceptions In China, Jingxin Cheng

Dissertations

Teaching and learning online was extensively adopted in English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher education program, as well in education of all levels in China with the advancement of the internet, multimedia information processing, cloud computing, and other information technologies since 1994. However, online education has remained more of a supplement to classroom education, and large-scale normal online education lacks cases and research in China. The COVID-19 pandemic caused profound change in higher education, with closures of campuses globally and migration of learning and teaching practices to online formats. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional teaching and learning activities, meanwhile, …

A Qualitative Case Study Of An Ultra-Brief Trait Emotional Intelligence Intervention For University Student Leaders, Britne K. Bacca-Haupt, Melinda R. Dilley, Fletcher J. Ferguson, Lisa C. Gillis-Davis, Jacqueline M. Schneller

Dissertations

Emotional intelligence gained interest in the early 1990s from researchers in hopes of assessing how understanding and developing emotions can help individuals be “healthy, rich, successful, loved, and happy” (Mayer et al., 2001, p. xi). Because of the expanded interest, increasing implications began occurring at the postsecondary level of education (Petrides et al., 2018). Trait emotional intelligence focuses on perceptions of oneself and others, illustrating how we regulate our emotions and recognize them in others. This qualitative study aimed to explore the impact of an ultra-brief intervention on the trait emotional intelligence development of university student leaders and how they …

A Design Based Mixed-Methods Study On Library Marketing And Communication Practices And Stakeholder Perceptions At A Midwestern University, Elizabeth Macdonald

Dissertations

The dissertation in practice was an effort to understand the relationship between communication and marketing strategies and students, faculty, and staff at a university library. The problem of practice reflected messaging challenges facing academic libraries over decades of change with rapidly changing technologies and changing stakeholder perceptions about libraries in an academic setting. The mixed-methods approach was guided by the user-centered design thinking process and endeavored to discover how a formalized marketing effort could positively shift longstanding stakeholder perceptions and increase engagement with university library resources and services. The methodology used by the scholar practitioner combined quantitative surveys, usage data, …

From Doctoral Student To Professor: The Professional Socialization And Career Development Of International Counselor Educators, Ayla Martine Ludwig

Dissertations

Becoming a counselor educator is a complex and rigorous process wherein students grow both personally and professionally (Dollarhide et al., 2013). Throughout this process, students develop in accordance with doctoral competency standards (CACREP, 2021) which help socialize them into the role of professor. For international learners, their education has historically included unique challenges such as language barriers (Behl et al., 2017; Hegarty, 2014; Jang et al., 2014; McDowell et al., 2012; Ng, 2012; Pollock et al., 2017; Sato & Hodge, 2015; Sherry et al., 2010), cultural adjustment (Jang et al., 2014; Kuo et al., 2018; Woo et al., 2015), and …

Representation And Equity Gaps In Higher Education: Conceptualizing Minority Representation In Graduate Programs At An Msi, Phylecia Love

Dissertations

Racially minority students and faculty are disproportionately underrepresented nationally, particularly at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), which are meant to serve minority populations (Hurtado et al., 2008). As the number of minority students grows, the gap for representation grows wider, which has added to the high departure of minority students. Additionally, the lack of faculty representation has minority faculty experiencing racial fatigue and tokenism. This qualitative research used the counter-storytelling tenet of Critical Race Theory as a theoretical framework to explore how students and faculty conceptualize representation in their graduate program at an MSI.

By employing co-constructed interviewing in the data …

The Impact Of Student Behavior And Motivation On Intercultural Competence, Marki Alexander

Dissertations

Intercultural competence has become an important trait for university graduates to possess, but an investigation into the influence of multiple factors on the achievement of intercultural competence has not been undertaken. This research examines the influence of academic and social behaviors, motivation, and student demographics on the attainment of intercultural competence through a mixed methods study. Undergraduate students taking a course focused on human diversity responded to intercultural situational judgement tests and the Expanded Cultural Intelligence Scale. The qualitative findings show a need to refine previous understandings of the development of intercultural competence. Some support for the influence of motivation …