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A Phenomenological Case Study Exploring The In-Home Experiences Of African Americans Pursuing Stem Degrees At A Historically Black College, Michael Lewis

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Exploring the In-Home Experiences of African American Students Pursuing STEM Degrees is a Phenomenological Case study that examines the experiences of five African American students at a Historically Black College. This study explores the internal (within oneself) and external (interactions with parents and siblings) attributes of the in-home experiences; Focusing on how the internal and external experiences impacted African American studentsâ?? decisions to pursue STEM degrees. Data was collected over a period of nine months, notes were transcribed, and analyzed for themes. The themes that emerged were (1) Conflict Experienced Early on Improves Character Development. (2) Your Focus Influences Who …

A Value-Based Case Study To Increasing Community Mentoring In Stem For Hispanic Students, Gilberto Moreno

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This case study investigates the implementation of a unique community-driven mentoring pilot program (PASOS2) forging stronger community and K-12 partnerships. Focused on surfacing what matters most in engaging community mentors, this case study explores a civic organization'?s quest to impact, expand, and bring value via mentoring to Hispanic students' pursuit of post-secondary studies with emphasis in STEM careers. A major stumbling block faced by many underprivileged students is the lack of mentorship vital to expanding their social capital support system. This innovative mentoring approach provides students with critical access to STEM community empowerment agents supporting aspiring students' dreams.

Analytical methods …

Cultivating Social Capital In Undergraduate Research: Key Sources And Distinctions By Gender, Heather Ann Daniels

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Women are outpacing men in overall educational attainment, however this is not the case in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields when women fall behind men. Establishing strong social connections is important to retention in STEM fields and persistence in the STEM pipeline. This study qualitatively examines what serves as social capital in STEM-focused undergraduate research and how social capital is accrued and deployed differently by men and women in ways that could be contributing to the gender gap in STEM. 17 students participating in external summer research programs at 12 different universities were interviewed at 3 points in …

Towards A Unified Theory Of Engineering Education, Oscar Humberto Salcedo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons and activities as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise enabling STEM literacy (Tsupros, Kohler and Hallinen, 2009). The purpose of the Dissertation is to develop a unified theory of engineering education based on philosophies of mathematics, science, technology & engineering, and engineering education. Using purposive sampling methods, the Thesis constructs "representative" philosophy statements from the STEM fields based on the criteria of Constructivism, Progressivism, and/or Pragmatism. These statements are …

Career Pathways And Demographic Profiles Of University Presidents In The U.S.: 2000-2008, Lourdes Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to obtain a better understanding of the career paths and profiles of contemporary university presidents. The study provided a broad perspective in terms of what institutions and governing boards are looking for when searching for a new president. It also helped to know the trends in those accepting these positions, namely education, career path, gender, and age. I I used the following questions to guide the focus of this study:

* RQ1. What are the demographic characteristics of current university presidents (e.g., gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, and geography)?

* RQ2. What academic and …