Education Commons^™

An Investigation Of Random Drug Testing As A Preventative Measure To Inhibit Drug Use In College Students, Drew Ludtke

Ed.D. Dissertations

The problem of drug use exists at most life stages. In particular, the problem of drug use exists in school settings. In a collegiate setting, students are independent from guardians for the first time and subjected to random drug testing (RDT). The difficulty in testing in a collegiate setting is finding ways to test the effectiveness of RDT. This study examined the effectiveness of an RDT program at a small Midwest university. Reports of drug use and attitudes were recorded before a RDT program was initiated and two years after. The results showed the RDT program was ineffective at preventing …

Marketing Nazarene Higher Education: A Study Of Nazarene High School Senior College Choice, Timothy W. Eades

Ed.D. Dissertations

This was a quantitative study of college choice factors as related to Nazarene high school seniors. A purposeful sample comprised of 6,918 students was utilized leading to 343 valid survey respondents. Valid respondents were specifically high-school seniors, over the age of 18, which attended a Nazarene church and signified the intention of attending a college or university in the fall of 2010. Nine very important or extremely important college choice factors were derived from the findings of this study. Differentiations were established with students choosing to attend a Nazarene college or university and those that chose not to do so. …

Engaging Non-Alumni Advisory Board Members In Hospitality Education, Judy A. Nagai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hospitality education programs within higher education institutions often rely upon members of the hospitality industry to serve as volunteer advisory board members. A common role for volunteers of an academic program advisory board is to serve as a credible link between the formal education and degree earning process to the hospitality industry, provide insight and advice on current issues and trends, assist in developing industry relationships, and share their time and resources to help promote the program (Edwards, 2008; Merrill, 2003). While volunteer advisory boards within higher education are often made up of both alumni and non-alumni, this study focused …

Set Up For Success: An Examination Of The Ronald E. Mcnair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program's Mentoring Component, Dwuena Cene' Wyre

Dissertations

Often, individuals are set up to fail. However, effective mentoring can set individuals up to succeed. This nonexperimental cross-sectional, predictive study examines the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program's mentoring component. Specific focus is placed on faculty mentor competency and its impact on McNair student intent to attain a doctoral degree and awareness of graduate school.

Cohen's (1993, 1995) Principles of Adult Mentoring Scale-Postsecondary Education Scale is utilized to assess McNair student perceived faculty mentor competency. Carrera's (2002) measures of effectiveness for the McNair Program's mentoring component are also used in this study.

Sequential multiple regression is the employed method …

Factors Affecting Institutional Choice Of Minority Students Admitted To Institutions In The Council For Christian Colleges And Universities, Christopher Lee Confer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the factors that affected minority students' choice to enroll at private faith-based 4-year institutions in the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in the United States. These factors included: minority students' demographic and background characteristics, financial factors, perceived institutional characteristics, and institutional marketing strategies. The theoretical framework for this study focused on Maguire and Lay's (1981) college choice model as well as Hossler and Gallagher's (1987) three phase college choice theory. This study also drew on the Critical Race Theory as a lens through which to examine minority student college choice. The study utilized the data …

The Social Validation Of Institutional Indicators To Promote System-Wide Web Accessibility In Postsecondary Institutions, Heather Ann Mariger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Internet is an integral part of higher education today. Students, faculty, and staff must have access to the institutional web for essential activities. For persons with disabilities, the web is a double-edged sword. While an accessibly designed website can mitigate or remove barriers, an inaccessible one can make access impossible. If websites that provide necessary information are not accessible, those with disabilities will be unable to independently complete their daily tasks or compete in the modern world.

Project GOALS (Gaining Online Accessible Learning through Self-Study) has developed a document outlining a set of four institutional indicators of Web accessibility. …

Corporate, Political, And Academic Perspectives On Tennessee Higher Education Accountability Policy, Andrew Quentin Morse

Masters Theses

The purposes of the research are (1) to identify the similarities and differences among corporate, political, and academic leaders in Tennessee on postsecondary education accountability policy and (2) to investigate ways for improving accountability policy as evidenced by the various stakeholders. The two following research questions will be adapted from the larger, ongoing study by Bogue et al. (2009) on accountability:

· What differences and similarities exist among corporate, political, and academic stakeholders on the issues of collegiate mission and issues of accountability definition and evidence?

· What are the most important steps that institutions of higher education can take …

Explaining The Alumni Relationship And Giving Tendencies Of Multigeneration Alumni Legacy Families At Marquette University, Lauren Edmonson

Professional Projects

This research examines the donative relationship legacy alumni of Marquette University have with their alma mater. As universities are relying more heavily on donations to finance portions of their budgets, university administration has invested heavily in fundraising offices to identify alumni with strong giving potential. Legacy alumni are a deeply emotionally vested group, with a high giving potential. Previous research has focused on the different determinants of alumni giving; this research focuses specifically on the different generations of legacy families at Marquette (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) and how their donative nature differs from non‐legacy constituents and from each other. Also …

A Cultural Approach To Understanding Professional Experiences Of Foreign-Born Faculty In U.S. Educational Leadership Preparation Programs, Iryna M. Khrabrova

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate professional experiences of foreign-born faculty members serving in U.S. educational leadership preparation programs utilizing a cultural approach to discern their lived experiences related to professional life. Cultural values reflected in professional life experiences were explored. The information gathered through phenomenological approach was used to analyze the influence of national background on the professional experiences of foreign-born faculty in educational leadership preparation programs.

Grade Retention: An Exploration Of The Pedagogical Experiences And Attitudes Of Elementary Principals That Influences Decisions To Retain Students In A Grade, Jill Delconte

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Faculty Compensation For Developing And Delivering Online Courses, Jeffrey Allen Burleson

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this dissertation was to determine the most common compensation practices higher education institutions provided faculty for developing and delivering online courses. Many higher education institutions provided compensation as motivational tools to elicit faculty participation in new online learning initiatives; however, limited research was available on equitable compensation for these services. The population consisted of 263 small, medium, and large baccalaureate and masters level private and state-funded not-for-profit United States higher education institutions. This population was selected using the maximum number of institutions identified by the Carnegie Classification system that met these criteria.

Data for this study were …

Education Is Like A Magic Carpet: Transfer Perceptions Of Urban Latino Community College Students, Catharine Mary Anne Penfold Navarro

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Latino students are the only ethnic group more likely to enroll in community colleges than four-year institutions. However, they transfer to four-year institutions at much lower rates than their white counterparts. This gap in transfer rates for Hispanic students is of significant concern to higher education researchers and policy makers because of its broad impact on overall educational attainment for Hispanics.

Research on Latino transfer rates has focused predominantly on quantitative data, which paints a clear picture of what is happening, but falls short in explaining why transfer rates continue to be low. Researchers have offered both structural (social reproduction …

An Exploratory Study Of The Curricular Integration Of Ethics In Executive Mba Programs, Jaime M. Franco

Dissertations

An Exploratory Study of the Curricular Integration of Ethics in Executive MBA Programs

News headlines of corporate scandals have unleashed a contentious debate of whether or not graduate management education has contributed to corporate collapses and the resultant financial crisis. In particular, questions abound as to the willingness of Executive MBA program (EMBA) administrators and faculty to integrate ethics into the curriculum.

A sizable amount of research has been conducted and published on the curricular integration of ethics in graduate management education. Unfortunately, very little is known about the curricular integration of ethics in EMBA programs. Over time, the number …

Bystander Behavior: Understanding Undergraduate Male Involvement In Dangerous Drinking Situations, Christopher Allen Waugh

Dissertations

Problem drinking leaves a troubling wake on college campuses throughout the United States. This dissertation explores to what extent male college student bystanders involved in dangerous drinking situations intervene and to what extent information and training in specific bystander skills improves their likelihood to be effective, engaged bystanders. Many germane themes emerge in this study, including: a priority for undergraduate males on social activities, a lack of undergraduate male empathy for male peers, and absent sense of undergraduate male responsibility for self and others. Further, the study presents a new typology for the disengaged male, undergraduate bystander, including recommendations for …

Australia V. Usa: Indian Engineering Students Pursuing Graduate Degrees Abroad, An Analysis Of Factors Influencing The Choice And Location Of Institution, Louis Berends

Dissertations

The global market of higher education is growing at a rapid pace. Prospective graduate students in engineering have more options - domestically and internationally - than ever before. At this moment, the international setting of engineering graduate programs continues to shift and expand. This study analyzes the decision-making processes of students from India who pursue graduate education in Australia and the United States of America. In this setting, decision-making processes of student choice were examined after study participants selected higher education institutions in Australian and U.S. The research question is: why do graduate degree-seeking engineering students from India pursue studies …

To Advance A Race: A Historical Analysis Of The Intersection Of Personal Belief, Industrial Philanthropy And Black Liberal Arts Higher Education In Fayette Mckenzie's Presidency At Fisk University, 1915-1925, Christopher Nicholson

Dissertations

This dissertation used archival and historical methods to examine Fayette Avery McKenzie's tenure as President at Fisk University from 1915-1925. Specifically, this project investigates the influence McKenzie's work with Native Americans, industrial philanthropy, and American culture of the period played in McKenzie's administration. The research seeks to provide a more complete narrative of McKenzie's administration that is absent from current scholarship, and examine how McKenzie's work at Fisk helped advance Black liberal arts higher education. Analysis of McKenzie's personal papers and other primary and secondary sources provide a strong scholarly basis to examine his administration from multiple perspectives. Through an …

Leading With Love: The Confluence Of Spirituality And Leadership In College Students, Eileen Patricia Doherty

Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between spirituality and leadership in college students, creating a conceptual framework for student spiritual leadership. Based in the prior work of leadership theory, college student leadership development, faith development, spiritual leadership, spirituality in higher education, and the environment of faith-based institutions, this research built upon previous research to create a framework for future study.

Using a case study method that considered a specific context, fourth-year students at a mid-size Catholic institution were interviewed, along with faculty and staff who offered observations of the students. While these students are a small sample of the college student …

Changing The Way We Do Things Around Here: Strategies Presidents Use For Creating Organizational Change In Higher Education, Jared N. Tippets

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

As society changes, so must higher education. Therefore, colleges and universities and the presidents leading them must adapt to survive in today’s highly competitive marketplace. What must an institution do to stay abreast of the changes? Once the necessary changes are identified, what processes are used by a president of a college or university to go about deliberately creating change on campus? By understanding how to create planned change, leaders within higher education will be able to better ensure that their institutions remain relevant in today’s rapidly changing environment. For many colleges and universities, their ultimate survival may depend on …

Graduate School Choice And Recruitment: An Assessment Of The Martin School Applicant Data System And Its Utility For Supporting Administrative Decisions, Leslie A. Curtis

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Student recruitment and retention are issues of importance for both graduate schools and graduate programs alike. Administrative decisions must be made, regarding these topics, which will best benefit the school or program. Within the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, those decisions can be influenced by data collected on current and past students. Analysis of data obtained from the student admissions application and a survey sent to students accepted into the Martin School can inform these management decisions. The information developed can highlight areas of recruiting concern such as attracting a higher number of high-quality in-state applicants, increasing diversity, …

African American Student Retention In The Reserve Officer Training Corps (Rotc) Leadership Program, Elaine A. Edwards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The percentage of qualified African American senior military leaders is significantly lower than the percentage of African Americans serving in the enlisted ranks. With the changing demographics of the 21st century, increasing the number of African American Army officers is a practical as well a moral issue. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand African American cadets' perception of the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Leadership Program and the impact of ROTC on their lives. The theoretical basis for this study is Sternberg's theory of intelligence and Woodman, Sawyer, and Griffin's theory of organizational creativity. The …

A Case Study Of First-Year Persistence Of Marshall University Freshmen, Beth Anne Pauley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

College enrollment is rising but there has not been a corresponding increase in graduation rates. Nationwide, 30% of students who enter college do not return for their sophomore year. This case-study was conducted to determine what factors influenced the first-year persistence of the 2009 Marshall University freshmen cohort. This research used extant data from two MAP-Works surveys and Marshall University’s student academic management system. Data from a cohort of 467 students were analyzed using logistical regression to determine which factors, if any, were statistically significant predictors of persistence. Logistic regression analysis produced statistically significant relationships with 27 pre-entry characteristics, 12 …

The Socialization Of African American Women As Faculty Members In Religiously-Affiliated Universities, Sheryl L. Mcgriff

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Research on experiences of faculty-of-color generally, and on African American women particularly, in religiously-affiliated universities is embryonic. Studying faith-based colleges as a synonymous group is a complex process because of different institutional types (e.g., 2-year, 4-year, and seminary); divergent missions; church affiliations (e.g., Lutheran, Baptist, and Roman Catholic) and Carnegie classifications (Smith & Jackson, 2004). This study’s purpose was to understand how African American women interpret and respond to their formal/informal socialization as faculty members in Jesuit universities. Jesuits have a distinct heritage that influences their institutional mission (Tierney, 1997). Perpetuation of religious tenets and ideals is a primary focus …

Indigenous Intercultural Universities In Latin America: Interpreting Interculturalism In Mexico And Bolivia, Luciano Pedota

Master's Theses

The newly created Indigenous Intercultural Universities in Latin America challenge the conventional conception of universities and their "universal" quality. Such universities seek to decolonize knowledge by generating knowledge that is relevant to the communities in which they are located. These intentions, however, do not necessarily exclude the knowledge and research methods imparted by long-established Western universities. Instead, they have been conceived as Intercultural institutions designed to train indigenous community leaders capable of hybridizing or carrying out a "dialogue of knowledges"(Mato, 2007) and research methods of what are ultimately two different, and often times, opposing and contentious paradigms, one stemming from …

The Elephant In The Room: Deconstructing The Place Of Conservatives In The Student Affairs Profession, Jodi Fisler

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The student affairs profession places considerable emphasis on the values of diversity, inclusiveness, and social justice as part of its mission to foster the holistic development of college students. Many vocal conservative critics point to these values as evidence of the liberal worldview that they claim dominates the higher education landscape. This critical, phenomenological study was designed around the premise that higher education, and, specifically, student affairs, is characterized by a liberal ideology that privileges those in the profession who identify as liberal. The study explored the perceptions and experiences of 12 self-identified conservative student affairs professionals in order to …

Academic Advising Experiences Of First-Year Undecided Students At A Public Southeastern High Research Activity Institution, Kyle Ellis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today's market for higher education, students are often vieas consumers. Institutions rely on the revenue from these tuition-paying students as the primary form of funding. Additionally, institutions are accountable for their students retention and graduation rates, thus must ensure that students are able to efficiently progress from new freshmen to graduating seniors in a timely manner. Academic advisors are often the front-line campus professionals that interact with these students. Academic advisors are presented with the opportunity to offer academic support and guidance to students. This support is very important throughout a student's academic career, but no time is greater …

Beyond Accomodations: Perceptions Of Students With Disabilities In A Hispanic Serving Institution, Neelam Agarwal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed method study was to explore perceptions of students with disabilities in a predominantly Hispanic serving institution. Factors of transition from high school to college, campus involvement, engagement in student organizations and their perceptions of campus climate were investigated through both a survey with 104 participants and in-depth interviews with 11 participants. This study also explored how undergraduate students with disabilities perceive their academic success and what are influential factors that impact their college experiences. Data were analyzed and interpreted through Tinto Interactionalist Theory of Student Departure, a Social constructivist perspective, Attribution theory, Rendon's model of …

Choque Cultural In Higher Education: The Lived Experiences Of Two Transnational Doctoral Students On The U.S. Mexico Border, Lyn Mckinley

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to develop a deeper understanding of the experience of transnational students in higher education in a U.S. public university. The setting for the study is the U.S.-Mexico border between Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. While numerous studies examine the experience of transnational K-12 populations in U.S. schools, there is limited research on students in advanced levels of higher education in this context.

The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth perspective of the experiences of two transnational doctoral students enrolled at the doctoral level at a U.S. university on the U.S.-Mexico border. The …

The Transition From High School To College In Texas: Hispanic Students On The U.S.-Mexico Border Redefining College Readiness, Hector Hernandez Jr.

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study addresses the barriers and challenges that could potentially impede successful high school-to-college transitions for Hispanic high school students on the U.S.-México border from the perspective of Hispanic youth. U.S. demographical data indicates that the Hispanic population continues to grow at a rapid pace and accounts for the majority of the U.S. population growth in the last decade (Fry & Gonzales, 2008). Hispanics have been identified not only as the fastest growing ethnic group, but also as highly underrepresented in institutions of higher learning. While numerous perspectives and descriptions of this phenomenon have been advanced by scholars, practitioners, and …

Steering In The Same Direction? : An Examination Of The Mission And Structure Of The Governance Of Providers Of Pathway Programs, Rodney A. Gillett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of the study was to examine the mission and structure of governance of three providers of pre-university pathway programs based in Australia and operating on a global basis. The aim of the research was to investigate changes, if any, to the purpose and form of governance in this sector for which virtually no research has been undertaken. The literature review of governance in the higher education sector on a global scale in relation to universities revealed an increasing trend toward a corporate style of management. The literature also revealed that the distributors of pathway programs are operating in …

Helping Educators Foster A Growth Mindset In Community College Classrooms, Marianne Adams Auten

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current research shows that students with a growth mindset are more motivated to learn, want to work harder, are less discouraged by difficulty, use more effective strategies for learning, and have higher academic performance in comparison to students without this mindset. Despite these promising findings, a growth mindset is sometimes not reinforced or is even refuted by classroom conditions. The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore how community college educators create classroom environments that foster a growth mindset. The conceptual framework for this study was a social constructivist approach where the interviewer and the participants co-constructed the …