Education Commons^™

Improving Programming Learners’ Experience Through Interactive Computer Tutor Based Moocs, Ruiqi Shen

Dissertations

With the large demand for technology workers all around the world, more people are learning programming. Studies show that human tutoring is the most effective way to learn for novice programmers. However, problems such as the inaccessibility to physical classes, prohibitive costs, and the lack of educators may limit students' opportunities to learn from these resources. Additionally, because programming is a skill requiring continuous practice and immediate feedback, simply listening to lectures may not be sufficient to learn effectively. This increases the inconvenience of learners who use online learning tools such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

In recent years, …

What Interactive Web Features Are Most Used, Travis Tyler

Experiential Learning Projects

The use of interactive features in websites has become common place on the internet. People use these tools to help navigate and understand the content related to that website. However, due the large variety of websites it can be tricky to understand what features are best to utilize based on the topic of your site. This paper seeks to address this issue by researching how users interact and utilized different features on different websites. Research is gathered via scholarly articles and direct data gathered from volunteers. This data shows users tend to favor more interactive tools to help with navigation, …

After The Class: Intergroup Dialogue Students' Actions Through The Lens Of The Cycle Of Liberation, Crista C. Gray

Dissertations - ALL

This research project centered 16 former intergroup dialogue (IGD) students' narratives from in-depth qualitative interviews and explored the ways participants did and did not put their learning into action at least a full semester after IGD course completion. Narrative data were analyzed through the lens of the Cycle of Liberation (Harro, 2010) and student actions were categorized as intrapersonal (within self), interpersonal (with others), and systemic (with/for larger organized groups). Most participants stated that their IGD experiences were among the most influential of their college experience at the time of the interview. Often the influence of IGD echoed in the …

Exploring The Therapeutic Effect Of Children's Picture Books, Yunfan Chen

Theses - ALL

This thesis discusses the phenomenon of left-behind children in China amid the country's urbanization, revealing the psychological state of these children in the countryside.

In this thesis, some psychological research sources have proven how picture books relieve children's emotions and attain therapeutic effects on children's psychology. Then, this thesis analyzes two examples of children's books depicting how picture books help children to manage their negative feelings and having a therapeutic effect on the child.

This thesis claims that bibliotherapy through children's independent reading of books can effectively alleviate left-behind children's negative emotions.

Does Speech-To-Text Assistive Technology Paired With Graphic Organizers Improve The Written Expression Of Students With Traumatic Brain Injuries?, Kayla Cuifolo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can range from mild to severe and can cause debilitating outcomes that require children to need specialized medical or educational services post-injury. Outcomes vary and are dependent on the location of injury, age, severity, and environmental factors. Some common deficits that happen as a result of a brain injury are fine motor and executive functioning skill difficulties. Fine motor and executive functioning skills are an important component of written expression. Therefore, this current study utilized a brief experimental analysis in order to determine the effects that speech-to-text assistive technology along with a graphic organizer has …

Forced Together, Growing Apart: An Exploration Of Heterosexual African American Males' Disengagement In Romantic Relationships With African American Females, Kenya Johns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The decline of intraracial dating has been more pronounced among African Americans in comparison to other racial groups. There is lack of available research tailored towards Black men’s dating experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of heterosexual African American males related to their disengagement in romantic relationships with African American females.

A phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of 10 African American males and the dynamics that appear to contribute to the decline in intraracial dating in the African American community. Five themes emerged from the study: – self-regard, family matters, proximity, the new …

Connecting First-Generation Students To Leadership Opportunities, Christian Walker

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

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that current outreach methods utilized by the Associated Students of UC San Diego are having on first-generation students’ engagement and pursuit of leadership opportunities, and ways that the department of Associated Students can adapt their approaches to better encourage participation from this student group. My research question was: How can I create outreach efforts that increase the number of first-generation students seeking student leadership roles? This research led to an enhanced understanding of how the department can connect members of this student group to open roles and opportunities for student …

How Can Stem Retention Rates At Bgsu Be Increased Both In And Out Of The Classroom?, Josalyn A. Coffee

Honors Projects

Previous research in STEM student retention rates showed a gap in knowledge regarding why this group of student experience higher rates of burnout than other groups of students. This study investigated the barriers STEM students at BGSU experienced. A survey was sent out to STEM and non-STEM students alike that asked questions regarding student’s personal history before attending BGSU, their course experiences at BGSU, and the levels of support they have outside of BGSU. The survey data showed that there was little difference in the rates that students switch majors solely based on being in the STEM field. The data …

Promoting Professional Development Through Appreciative Inquiry: Aiding The Transition Of College Student Employees As Emerging Professionals, Juleane Johnson

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

The purpose of this action research study aimed to identify how to better promote and support the transition as emerging professionals and elevate the professional development capacity of Sixth College Residence Life at the University of California, San Diego. The primary research question guiding these endeavors is: What role do I/our office play in the transition of student employees to emerging professionals? The secondary question is: How can I/our office collaborate to elevate professional development practices and capacity? Research participants took part through virtual interviews, virtual focus groups, and the completion of an online survey. The significance of my efforts …

Serving Our Students: Evidence-Based Sex Education Policies And Practices Needed In Ohio, Lily Mckenzie Rosenberg

Honors Projects

Ohio has very minimal state-wide sex education laws, requiring only venereal disease education that has many similarities with abstinence-only education. Abstinence-only education has been shown to be ineffective in delaying first sex and lowering teen STDs, pregnancy, and birth rates. When students receive ineffective (or no) sex education it can impact them in many ways, leaving them unprepared for sexual lives as adults. To analyze the state of sex education in Ohio, this paper will look at sex education throughout Ohio both in law and in practice. I will then explore the impact of these minimal sex education laws on …

Using Bst To Increase Interview Skills Among Emerging Adults With Autism Via Telehealth, Johnna L. Dowdy

Theses and Dissertations

he purpose of the current study was to evaluate the use of behavior skills training via telehealth to teach job interview skills to emerging adults with ASD. Additionally, the study examined if following intervention, skills were able to generalize to new interviewers. 2 undergraduate and 1 graduate student with ASD participated in the study, and received intervention for 3 behaviors: (1) appropriately answering questions, (2) asking appropriate questions, and (3) engaging in appropriate body language. The current study used a multiple baseline design across behaviors. Results from the study indicated BST via telehealth was effective in teaching job interviews skills. …

The Time To Talk Is Now: Race-Based Dialogue Among White Student Affairs Professionals, Imari Hazelwood

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Enrollment of students of color (SOC) in higher education has called on student affairs professionals to design and implement programs and policies focused on diversity and inclusion (Mueller & Pope, 2000, 2003; Ellertson, Moore, & Marsh, 2007; Pope, Mueller, & Reynolds, 2009). White student affairs professionals need to develop cultural competencies about race to aid the development of students of color at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) (Mueller & Pope, 2001). Book clubs are one way to gather and converse about race and identity (Polleck & Epstein, 2015). The White Racial Identity Development theory (WRID) is a way to bring awareness …

Teacher Education Programs Of Top Pisa Scoring Countries, Stephanie Kafer

Honors Projects

This research paper aims to investigate the teacher education programs of four different countries that have consistently scored high on the international Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test. This project intends to answer two questions: What locations consistently perform high on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test? What do the teacher training programs look like for these locations and are there commonalities between programs of different locations? The first question is answered using statistics of PISA scores from the past twenty years and from those statistics, the top four countries that this paper focuses on are Finland, …

Social-Emotional Learning For The Classroom And Family Contexts, Courtney Bockbrader

Honors Projects

This project focused on developing a social-emotional learning workbook for use in the classroom and family contexts. Based on a review of relevant literature, emotional recognition, self-regulation, and social skills were identified as the most beneficial social-emotional skills for the personal and academic success of elementary-aged students. The resulting workbook included eleven activities aimed at promoting these three skills. Each activity was designed to be implemented in the classroom setting, with associated take-home activities for use in the home with the parent/guardian(s) for increased generalization of skills. Accessibility for schools of all income levels was taken into account, as activities …

Employees' Expectations Of Leadership Development Programs And Their Effects On Anticipated Voluntary Employee Turnover And Organizational Commitment, Candace Johnson

Dissertations

Employee retention and commitment have gained attention over the past years (Mutsuddi, 2016). Commitment is the link that connects an individual to their organization, thereby decreases the probability of turnover (Allen & Meyer, 1990; Hague et al., 2019). According to Mutsuddi (2016), decreasing employee turnover remains a critical element for sustainment in any organization. However, most organizations invest in policies and practices to increase employee commitment; those same practices can lead to employee turnover (Mutsuddi, 2016). This study explores the effects of leadership development programs and their impact on organizational commitment and anticipated voluntary employee turnover. A qualitative research design …

An Exploration Of Black Church Leaders' Intentions To Develop Critical Consciousness Among African-American Students, Taheesha Quarells

Dissertations

African-American students experience human capital opportunity and achievement gaps. Researchers have called for culturally relevant strategies to help close the gaps. The historic Black Church, a part of many African-American students’ culture and community, is a historic and current source of social capital for positive human capital development outcomes. Critical consciousness develops positive human capital outcomes, such as academic achievement, in African-American and other minority students. Much of the literature on critical consciousness is quantitative in nature and therefore does not include the intentions or the willingness of organizations to develop critical consciousness. Therefore, there is a need to understand …

Finding A Home Through The Screen: A Glimpse Into Student Experiences In A World Of Remote Admissions Processes, Megan Carmen

Honors Projects

The college search process is an important time in the life of any student, and feeling a sense of belonging and inclusion through the admissions process is vital to ensuring student success in higher education. With COVID-19 forcing all admissions communications online, student connections were changed and student’s perception of belonging was altered. This confidential survey project used demographic, quantitative, and open-ended questions to understand student perceptions of belonging and inclusion during the online admissions process. Of 750 students contacted, 57 students responded to the demographic questions, 50 to the quantitative questions, and 17 students left in-depth responses about their …

Sustaining Boys' Motivation Over The Transition To Middle School: Can Interpersonal Resources Protect Boys From Engagement Declines Across Sixth Grade?, Brandy Anne Brennan

Dissertations and Theses

Recent research has highlighted the challenges boys face in school. Boys are overrepresented on indicators of negative academic outcomes, such as detention, suspension, and dropout, as well as underperformance on state and national tests. Moreover, these effects may be long lasting: Compared to females, male students are less likely to graduate high school, enroll in college, and complete a college degree, and they may be particularly vulnerable in middle school. As students enter middle school, their motivation and engagement normatively decline, and these losses may be especially problematic for boys. Nevertheless, research documents the importance of close relationships with parents, …

Improving Academic Success: Creating A College Planning Resource For Students, Hannah Grunden

Honors Projects

Academic performance of students is a major concern for colleges, especially with the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Research has shown that active involvement, the development of self-regulation skills, and improved mental health all have a considerable impact on college students’ academic success. Colleges like Bowling Green State University need to consider how they can use these factors and leverage resources to improve student performance. In this project, a solution is proposed in the form of a college/personal planner which is directly based off research on early academic success. While further, more specific research is needed to fully understand the issue and …

Alternative To Suspension: Decreasing Suspension Rates For Minority Students, Alyssa Galindo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Between the timeframe of August 2020 - December 2021 Salinas Union High School (SUHSD) suspension rate data was reviewed in the California School Dashboard network. It was determined the suspension rate of this school district exceeded those of its fellow districts. SUHSD has increased their suspension rates of English learners by 2.3%, decreased their suspensions of African American students by 2% and Hispanic students have maintained the same rates as the prior year (caschooldashboard.org). Contributing factors to this social dilemma are lack of knowledge of Alternative to Suspension, unconscious and conscious bias and the newly adopted practice of Social Emotional …

Critical Political Thinking: An Analysis Of Undergraduate Students’ Higher-Order Thinking Skills And Preferred Political Values, Labels, And Leadership Traits, Maya Mingo

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study details the political values of students enrolled in an entry-level, multi-section educational psychology course at a large, southeastern United States university during the fall semester of 2017 (N = 167). Survey data were collected to identify the following: which political values and personality traits undergraduate students give the most priority when making political decisions, whether or not the political labels participants identified as most important to them are consistent with those common to their families, close friends, and childhood geographical regions, the quality of respondents’ self-reported label-value congruence, and the relation between the students’ critical thinking …

Collateral Damage: How Expanding Public Charge Policy Influences Adult Esl Enrollment, Allison M. Eckert

Master's Theses

This study used statistical analysis of enrollment records for ESL programs at community colleges throughout California from 2015-2019 to determine whether adult immigrants’ participation in public ESL programs was reduced under President Donald Trump. Immigrant families’ lesser use of public education services and means-tested federal benefits has been widely documented in the wake of Trump’s expansion of the public charge rule, which counted immigrants’ use of a wider array of public benefits against their case for residency in the United States than had any previous iteration of the rule. Failing the public charge test can block an immigrant’s entry into …

Women In Direct Combat Arms: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study Of U.S. Army Active-Duty Military Intelligence And Cyber Command Women Perspectives And Current Career Opportunities And Policies In The Military Combat Fields, Brenda Young

Theses & Dissertations

Effective January 1, 2016, the Department of Defense implemented a new policy pertaining to a full work role gender integration for service women in all U.S. military fields and positions. Active-duty women struggled to participate, adapt, and be completely integrated into the full institutional direct combat arms positions and careers. Research on such gender participation to date has focused specifically on physical fitness standards, unit morale and cohesion, successful entry into training pipeline for direct combat arms fields, and outcomes measured by current attrition rates. A constructivist qualitative grounded theory research study was needed to understand how current active-duty women …

Determining The Psychosocial Needs Of The Nurses Of Covid-19 Patients, Allison Stevens

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Nurses are a vital element of the COVID-19 healthcare crisis and have been since the beginning of the COVID-19 response. The professional strain put on nurses included, but is not limited to: changing professional roles, rapidly changing policies and procedures, an influx of patients—particularly of high acuity, and change in workplace morale. However, nurses also had to carry the burdens of living as a member of society, family member, friend, community member, and above all, simply as a person surviving a pandemic themselves. With all of the stressors nurses have endured, it stands to reason that their psychosocial needs have …

School Counselors’ Lived Experiences In Supervision, Leigh Bagwell

Doctoral Dissertations

Supervision for practicing school counselors is integral to their professional growth and development (ASCA, 2019a). This is delivered through three modes of supervision as administrative, programmatic, and clinical with researchers identifying administrative as the most prevalent mode of supervision delivered as evaluation by school administrators (Perera-Diltz & Mason, 2012). However, school counselors have stated that they want access to programmatic and clinical supervision (Sandifer et al., 2019). Derived from a synthesis of the related literature, a Suite of Supervision (SoS) was proposed that integrated the three modes, identified appropriate supervisors, and provided focus areas for professional growth and development through …

Perceptions Of High Achieving High School Students Regarding The Professionalization Of Teaching And Their Interest In Becoming Teachers, Jonathan Crossley

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

This study was designed to highlight the factors that contribute to high-achieving high school students not deciding to join the teaching profession. There is growing evidence to indicate that the teaching profession is comprised mostly of educators in their first five years in the profession and educators with more than 25 years of teaching experience. Increasing numbers of educators are leaving the profession within their first five years in a classroom. On the other end of the spectrum, as teachers with more than 25 years of experience ultimately retire, the question remains about the viability of the profession for younger …

Environmental Justice Issues And Sea Level Rise In Frontline Communties Along The Gulf Coast, Karla Michel Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sea level rise poses a great threat to coastal areas and our way of life. As flooding increases in frequency and intensity across the country, vulnerable populations become a target to its impacts. The U.S. dedicates much research to risk communication and climate change adaptation strategies; however, these coastal areas are home to a large percentage of underserved and underrepresented communities that can be challenging to meaningfully engage. The impacts of short-term sea level rise combined with long-term sea level rise will not only cause flooding, erosion, and intrusion of saltwater into freshwater resources but also increased financial consequences, such …

Student Attitudes Toward Science: Growth Trajectories And Thematic Analysis Of A Project-Based Internship, Robert Donavin Mccreary

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In order to increase the number of students pursuing science-related careers, science educators and policymakers have advocated for improving student attitudes toward science (SAS) through inquiry-based instruction, such as project-based learning (PBL). While challenges exist in PBL, research suggests cogenerative dialogue (cogen) can ease the transition for students from traditional learning to PBL. In the present study, a secondary analysis was conducted to examine SAS growth trajectories from participants of the Work With A Scientist Program (WWASP) – a student-scientist internship which integrated cogen with PBL. Additionally, a thematic analysis was conducted to explore student attitudes toward cogen. The growth …

Alone Together: The Experiences Of Lgbtqia+ Undergraduates At Faith-Based Colleges, Jennifer Edwards

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of LGBTQIA+ alumnix who attended faith-based colleges. The study was guided by Strayhorn’s (2019) College Students’ Sense of Belonging Theory and Abes’ et al. (2007) Reconceptualized model of multiple dimensions of identity. The scope of experiences explored was narrowed to three of the five categories in Schreiner’s (2010a) Thriving Quotient. These categories were: positive perspective (outlook on life), social connectedness, and diverse citizenship.

The study included 11 participants from 7 faith-based colleges and represented various intersections of sexual and gender identity. The study employed constructivist grounded theory methodology, an inductive research approach …

Examining Online Fitness Program Participation Behavior During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An Application Of Theory Of Planned Behavior, Ran Wei

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine fitness participants’ online fitness program (OFP) participation intention and behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study utilized self-administered online survey which included three parts: Theory of Planed Behavior (TPB) measurement scale and Global Physical Activity Questionnaire version 2.0 (GPAQ-v2.0) plus demographic information. TPB was used to examine OFP participation behavior with four variables: Attitude toward the behavior (AB), subjective norm (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), and participation intention (PI). Role identity (RI) and past behavior (PB) were included as additional variables in the original TPB model. Fitness participants’ OFP participation behavior before …