Education Commons^™

Increasing Graduate School Enrollment In A Shrinking Applicant Pool: A Look At Factors Influencing College Choice, Lindsey Erin Storey Shelton

Theses and Dissertations

For years, the impending enrollment cliff has been a regular topic amongst higher education officials. With this event slated to hit undergraduate programs by 2025, it is anticipated that graduate schools will begin feeling the impact by 2029. By examining factors influencing graduate student college choice, enrollment managers can identify ways to offset the decline in eligible graduate students.

This study looked at applicants’ decisions to enroll or not enroll over a 5-year period at a public, research-intensive institution. The results of this study provided insight into the individual and academic factors that influence college choice, while also measuring the …

Equity Among Equity Workers: Public Service Motivation In An Educational Nonprofit Organization, Russell C. West Jr

Theses and Dissertations

What opportunities and challenges arise when an equity-focused educational organization aims to support employee’s individual equity practices while simultaneously developing the organization’s equity practice? In this study, employees of a non-profit educational organization were asked what rationales and expectations played a role in their decision to volunteer in an equity working group. Their responses were used to understand whether Perry’s (2000) process theory of Public Service Motivation helped describe their decision. In a second round of interviews, employees were asked what outcomes they perceived came from their participation. These responses were used to understand whether the outcomes aligned with those …

The Effect Administrators Have On Employee Morale Within The University Of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Sherry L. Beaty-Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between Arkansas County Extension County staff morale and their perceived relationship county staff had with their County Staff Chair. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service (UAEX) can utilize the results from this research to identify individuals who have the capacity to build high-quality relationships with staff members, thereby promoting higher levels of morale within the organization. Administrators can use this study to identify current or future leaders within the organization by identifying those who can promote high-quality relationships with county-level staff. Results from this study may also be used …

Policy Implications Of Refugee Education In Urban Settings: A Case Study Of The Experience Of Refugee Community-Based Schools In Cairo, Dawood Mayom

Theses and Dissertations

Egypt hosts asylum-seekers and refugees originating from a large number of countries. Many refugees find themselves living in urban settings, and education and access to schools across various levels have increasingly become challenging for children. This study focuses on refugees’ education between the years 2011-2020 in Cairo. During these years, the number of students increased by five times, making the provision of education a challenging endeavor. The research aims to explore and understand the multiple barriers to Community-Based Refugee Education in Urban Egypt. This study used a qualitative case study because of its relevancy to this topic and context. The …

The Impacts Of Peer Observation Roles And Teaching Characteristics On Teacher Self-Efficacy: A Secondary Data Analysis Study Using The Talis Survey, Elisa Tedona

Theses and Dissertations

It is important for teachers to have a high sense of self-efficacy, as it is one of the prime motivational forces influencing student learning, teacher quality, and in turn, overall success (Curry, 2015; Hattie, 2009; Klassen & Chiu, 2010). Teachers with high self-efficacy work harder, are more involved in learning, and have higher assurance (Bandura, 1994). For these reasons, it is imperative to study the influencers of teacher self-efficacy. Peer observations and observational feedback, a highly used practice in all schools, is one of those influencers. This cycle of observations and feedback provided to teachers is influential to teacher self-efficacy …

Gender Advantage? A Case Study Of Male Nursing Students At A New Jersey Community College, Kathleen Michell

Theses and Dissertations

Nurses face many challenges in the health care arena. However, male nursing students face a unique set of challenges in a female dominated profession. Limited research looks to understand the male student perspective and success. This qualitative, case study explored the success of male nursing students at a Community College in Northern New Jersey. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews took place with the male nursing students in their second year of the program. Three main themes were identified including gender advantage, male students find that their gender provides an advantage in the classroom and clinical settings; encouragement and support, the …

My Sisters Myself: Exploring The Health And Wellness Practices Of African American Women, Carmen Alexis

Theses and Dissertations

African American women contribute disproportionately to disease in the United States. Researchers have repeatedly turned to issues related to poverty, access to medical care, and stress to explain this syndrome, however studies have shown that the disparities persist even in the absence of poverty and impaired access. Stress remains a constant in every discussion of disease in African American women, but what is it that fuels their particular brand of stress and how does it impact the health of African American women? The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the perceptions held by African American women in …

The Impact Of A Standardized Participant Simulation Learning Experience On The Critical Thinking Disposition Of Undergraduate Health Administration Students., Fred Dicostanzo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was (a) to observe the impact of simulation on the critical thinking disposition of undergraduate students in a health administration program, and (b) to observe faculty perceptions of the efficacy of simulation as a training and evaluative tool for undergraduate students in a health administration program. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) was used to measure critical thinking disposition in an experimental group of subjects before and after a simulation, and in a control group of subjects who did not undergo simulation. The experimental group scored higher on the post-test CCTDI than …

Peer Mentoring For-Profit College Students, Diane Mcgeehan

Theses and Dissertations

A peer mentoring program for new students at a for-profit institution was implemented at a campus over five quarters. Peer mentors with high GPAs were matched with students for eleven weeks to help with academic success. A Business Club was created to support the mentoring program and campus activities. A professor monitored the program and collected data about the mentors, mentees, and the program's initiatives. Qualitative and quantitative research practices were used. Most mentees completed their first quarter coursework and re-enrolled for multiple quarters. The peer mentors learned valuable skills that they will apply to their workplaces. The campus was …

Compassion Fatigue In Nurse Faculty, Patricia Price

Theses and Dissertations

There is a paucity of extant research on compassion fatigue in nurse faculty. The literature contextualized the existence of compassion fatigue in nurses practicing in the clinical area as well as those in service professions. This explanatory mixed methods study examines the risk of compassion fatigue among full time nurse faculty teaching in three four-year baccalaureate generic nursing programs. The relationship between compassion fatigue and nurse faculty's attitudes of stress in their work environment was further explored with the Margin In Life instrument to determine if there was a relationship between compassion fatigue and an individual's power, load and margin. …

Student Internet Speech: Where Does The Schoolyard End In The Cyberworld?, Thomas D. Denny

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines student internet speech that originates off-campus but results in discipline from school. The history of the issue of student speech is explored to set the foundation for the current issue. In the absence of a Supreme Court ruling on student off-campus internet speech, cases reaching the Federal level are explored in search of commonalities. The resulting information is synthesized to create two artifacts. The first is a matrix to summarize the rulings and rationale of the cases. The second is a reference tool to guide administrators in dealing with similar student speech cases.

No Nursing Student Left Behind: Non-Cognitive Screening, Letty Piper

Theses and Dissertations

With the growing shortage of nurses, the continuing flow of an adequate number of nursing students is important to the healthcare system. In an attempt to identify the noncognitive factors, which influence attrition, a mixed-method, cross-sectional study was conducted. Students who had dropped out of a BSN program and those still enrolled were given a survey containing scales of self-efficacy, nursing professional alignment and Margin in Life. The students then participated in focus groups. The attritional students were found to have a significantly lower Margin-in Life score than those who had succeeded, and there was a correlation between the Margin …

Educating Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients Who Are Undergoing Radiation Therapy, Michael Mimms

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine the various levels of understanding that patients had about cancer when they had been diagnosed with the illness, and to improve their understanding of the radiation treatment process through the presentation of an educational video (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). Patients often remained confused and thereby missed vital information, regardless of how many explanations or how much information they had been given to explain cancer and the options they had for treatment (Eiser, Davies, Jenny, & Glaser, 2005; Kodish et al., 2004). The goal of this study was to satisfy the need …

The Transformation Of Baccalaureate Nursing Curriculum: A Multicultural Approach To Optimize Clinical Competence, Sharon Burke

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study sought to address the need for multicultural awareness in nursing education. The purpose of this action research study was to improve baccalaureate nursing students' cultural competence and multicultural awareness through infusing multicultural awareness education in the JSN curriculum. Education sessions were implemented to increase multicultural awareness to improve nursing practice. This mixed method action research project was conducted during the 2009-2010 academic year. Data collection techniques included surveying nursing faculty, administrators and baccalaureate students in the Jefferson School of Nursing as well as conducting student focus groups. Descriptive statistics and thematic coding were used to analyze …

An Exploratory Assessment Of A Graduate Early Childhood Special Education Dual Certification Program, Claudia Mejia

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this action research study was to assess an urban university's graduate Early Childhood Special Education dual certification program and find ways to improve the program in order to facilitate growth and success for all of the students. The research design included both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, which were in the forms of a questionnaire and interviews. Other colleges' and universities' graduate programs in Early Childhood Special Education dual certification were also analyzed to determine if they were similar to the urban university and met the students' needs and standards. Data collected from the questionnaire …

Implementing A Peer Mediation Program To Reduce Discipline Problems In Pine Hill Schools, Pamela Bates Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of Peer Mediation, mentoring and counseling techniques on sixth grade males in order to improve behavior and reduce discipline problems. The population was a selected group of males from the sixth grade who had experienced significant disciplinary actions. The population was studied for approximately three marking periods while receiving a combined program of counseling with a male counselor, male mentoring and Peer Mediation. The sample size, although small, was totally representative of the socially unacceptable behavior population. The data gathering procedures consisted of individualized interviews with each participant determining the …