Education Commons^™

Social-Emotional Learning In Higher Education: A Program Evaluation, Liza D. Johnson

Dissertations

This program evaluation presents an assessment of a three-credit-hour undergraduate Social- Emotional Learning Competencies course in a regionally accredited, private, American, and Christian university. This course focuses on core life skills in the areas of self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and relationship management. The social-emotional learning (SEL) framework used in other educational settings has not yet been applied to a higher education population or setting (Conley, 2015). Due to a lack of pragmatic literature on SEL school-based programming in higher education, this program evaluation addresses a prominent postsecondary curriculum gap and provides a model for institutions to review and consider for adoption. …

The Importance Of Creating Curriculum And Practices For The 21st Century Master Of Arts In Communication: A Program Evaluation, Michelle Grace

Dissertations

In 2018, a Master of Arts in Communication program was reviewed for relevance, academic rigor, and satisfaction of program stakeholders. Qualitative and quantitative research was conducted with current and former program participants and community business leaders to answer these questions. While program satisfaction was high, the results suggested the need for revised curriculum to align with the 21^st century workplace and to better meet the needs of adult learners. The results of this research will be implemented by introducing new courses or modifying existing ones, maintaining relationships with industry partners, and changing the format of classes to provide adult …

Trauma And Social Frameworks: The Effect Of Uasd-Government Conflict Between 1966 And 1978 Over Perspectives About Higher Education, Jesús Leonardo D'Alessandro

Dissertations

Currently, the expenditures for higher education by the Dominican government are at record highs (OECD, 2012; MESCYT, 2018). Yet, nationwide, student attrition rates in universities average a challenging 50% (OECD, 2012). This percetange climbs to 80% in Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). UASD is the oldest public university and the largest higher education institution in the Dominican Republic, hosting 44% of all undergraduate students enrolled in the country (OECD, 2012; UASD, 2018). The institution’s attrition levels suggest that while the Dominican government’s investment in higher education is high, the return on that investment is low.

Although domestic plans and …

Short-Term Athletic Foreign Tours And Student Learning Outcomes: A Program Evaluation, April L. Elsbernd

Dissertations

Many studies have shown that the same student learning outcomes observed in long-term study abroad can be met during short-term programs, if executed correctly. Intercollegiate athletic foreign travel tours (AFTs) are similar to short-term study abroad programs, but little research has been done on these programs. By analyzing qualitative and quantitative data from surveys of student-athletes who recently participated in AFTs, as well as interviews with relevant staff members, I was able to determine strengths of the program and identify areas for growth. The evaluation process shaped organizational change recommendations, along with an institutional policy that will allow the AFT …

The Voices Of African American Female First-Generation College Student Seniors At Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Tamara Frazier

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to describe the academic, financial, and social institutional factors that African American female First- Generation College Student seniors perceive supported their persistence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities as outlined in Tinto’s College Retention Theory (1990, 1993) and Tinto’s Framework for Institutional Action (2012).

Methodology: This study utilized a qualitative multiple-case study methodology to record the perceptions of eight African American female First-Generation College Student seniors regarding the academic, financial, and social institutional factors that allowed them to persist at their Historically Black College and University. Respondents were purposively selected …

The Shadow-Beast: The Influence Of Critical Consciousness On Resilience Narratives Of Latinx/A/O College Students, Norma Lopez

Dissertations

The purpose of this LatCrit narrative study was to explore how Latinx/a/o students who are first-generation to college make meaning of their resilience in relation to the development of their critical consciousness. the research questions that guided this study were: How do first-generation to college Latinx/a/o students make meaning of their ability to overcome obstacles and persevere in the face of adversity; in other words, how have they constructed their resilience narrative? How does critical consciousness, or understanding their social identity within the context of social, political, and economic forms of oppression, influence their resilience narrative, if at all? Data …

Voices Of African American Women In Computer Science: Implications For K-12 Stem Education And Beyond, Yolanda B. Sanders

Dissertations

Voices of African American Women in Computer Science is a qualitative dissertation about African American women who have successfully completed a computer science degree. This research explored how computer science education departments in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) contribute to the oppression of African American females. Critical race feminism (CRF) provides the platform that places the voices of women of color who have successfully obtained a computer science degree despite difficulties that have been imposed by the reality of racial biases that are present throughout the American education system and American culture at large. This research was guided by the following …

Movement On The Margins: Exploring The Leadership And Agency Of Women Of Color Student Activists In Predominantly White Higher Education Institutions, Cobretti Williams

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to learn more about the experience of student activism through the eyes, ears, and narratives of women of color in predominantly White higher education institutions. Using an adapted theoretical framework of critical feminist agency, I conducted interviews and focus groups with women of color whom represent the past, present, and future of student activist experiences on campus. Their stories and knowledge affirmed the historical significance of student activism in higher education, and more notably, provided additional critical perspectives towards the development and re-imagination of leadership, agency, and institutional structures in colleges and universities. …

Bridging The In Between: A Portrait Of Asian American Student Affairs Professionals In Asian American Cultural Centers, Joliana Yee

Dissertations

Although the first Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) on a U.S. college campus came about as a result of student activism in the late 1960s and 33 other AACCs have since been established at higher education institutions across the country, very little has been documented in higher education scholarship about the Asian American Student Affairs Professionals (SAPros) who work within these unique institutional resources. While concerted efforts have been made to diversify the student body demographic at predominantly white institutions (PWIs), the negative impact of campus racial dynamics on students of color have nevertheless persisted and extant literature on the …

Philosophy And Practice Of Wholistic And Physical Student Development At Select Seventh-Day Adventist Higher Educational Institutions And Work Colleges, Brenda Gay Palmer Chase

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose

There is an extensive array of literature and research espousing the importance of developing the whole student. Comparatively, there is limited research on examining how colleges and universities that promote wholistic student development incorporate each of the human dimensions into an integrated educational experience. There is, therefore, a need for scholarship that compares and contrasts how separate and distinct higher educational systems having a philosophy of educating the whole person define and implement the development of the physical dimension. Similarly, research is needed that examines how the differences in interpreting and implementing the development of the physical …