Education Commons^™

Doctoral Students’ Perceived Barriers That Slow The Progress Toward Completing A Doctoral Dissertation: A Mixed Analysis, Eunjin Hwang, Rachel N. Smith, Valerie Tharp Byers, Shirley H. Dickerson, Leah Mcalistar-Shields, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Cindy Benge

Librarian and Staff Publications

The non-completion of doctoral degrees has been a concern due to its economic, social, and personal consequences. In the current study, the researchers investigated perceived barriers of select doctoral students in completing their doctoral degrees by utilizing a fully mixed sequential mixed research design. The quantitative and qualitative data were concurrently collected using identical samples (n = 205) via a Reading Interest Survey questionnaire. A sequential mixed analysis revealed 6 emergent themes: external obligations (36%), challenges to doctoral-level researchers (34%), practical/logistical constraints (23%), emotional concerns (15%), program structure (9%), and support for completion (8%). Also, 3 meta-themes were identified (i.e., …

Traveling Trunks: Enrich Curriculum With A Global Perspective, Nancy Shepherd

Faculty Publications

Traveling trunks as a delivery method for curricula have been associated with experiential learning and shown to increase learning (George, 2010; Shepherd, 2007; Lett, 1993). Students learn through real-life experiences, such as global social issues (Kister, 1992), and principal to the nature of learning is the relationship between experience and learning, a shaping force in the development of thoughtful, curious students (Loughran, 2006).

The embedded mixed method study showed learning gains occurred when experiential curriculum was facilitated by experienced teachers, and delivered in a traveling trunk. The study (N=58) showed that active learning about social issues engages students. Paired t-tests …

Review Of Schooling For Resilience: Improving The Life Trajectories Of African-American And Latino Males, Nina M. Ellis-Hervey

Faculty Publications

References

Fergus, E., & Noguera, P. (2010). Doing what it takes to prepare black and Latino males in college. In C. Edley & J. Ruiz (Eds.), Changing places: How communities will improve the health of boys of color (pp. 97-139). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Noguera, P. (2012). Saving black and Latino boys: What schools can do to make a difference. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(5) (February 2012), 8-12.

Schott Foundation. (2010). State report on public education of black males. Cambridge, MA: Author. www.blackboysreport.org.

Teaching Orientation And Mobility Skills To Students With Autism And Vision Impairment In Public Schools: A Data-Based Study, Devender, R. Banda, Phoebe A. Okungu Ph.D., Nora Griffin-Shirley, Melanie K. Meeks, Olaya Landa-Vialard

Faculty Publications

Two students with autism, vision impairment, and intellectual disability participated in an orientation and mobility (O&M) intervention to travel in school settings using their folding canes. A multiple-baseline across participants design to determine the effectiveness of the intervention was used. The dependent variable was time taken to travel the specified route. The independent variable was O&M training. Results indicated that both participants took less time to travel during the intervention compared to the baseline. Students with vision impairment and autism can be trained using systematic O&M training. The O&M specialists working with children with autism and vision impairment should collect …

Undergraduate Research: An Essential Piece For Underrepresented Students' College Success, Yuleinys A. Castillo, Antonio Estudillo

Faculty Publications

Undergraduate research represents a high impact practice for higher education institutions to improve the college experience of underrepresented students. The integrative and mentoring aspects of undergraduate research can help to enhance the academic and social participation of underrepresented students. Undergraduate students provide opportunities for students to develop valuable skills for personal and professional growth. Specifically, participation in undergraduate research can foster work-related skills for underrepresented students for future career and interpersonal relationships. In this literature review, the benefits and perceived challenges for underrepresented students as well as institutional investment in undergraduate research are explored to potentially offer valuable information to …

Implementation Of Collaborative Learning As A High-Impact Practice In A Natural Resources Management Section Of Freshman Seminar, Matthew W. Mcbroom, Steven H. Bullard, David Kulhavy, Daniel R. Unger

Faculty Publications

Forestry and environmental science students enrolled in a one credit hour freshman seminar course participated in a land management evaluation and water quality sampling excursion using canoes and water sampling equipment. The purpose of this assessment was to engage students with hands-on, field based education in order to foster connections to their chosen profession and the resource. This culminated in poster symposium of the experience. Broad competency areas for high impact practices in natural resource management were emphasized for learning. Students were engaged in the exercise and commented that the project helped them develop a sense of place and forming …

Integrating Hands-On Undergraduate Research In An Applied Spatial Science Senior Level Capstone Course, David Kulhavy, Daniel R. Unger, I-Kuai Hung, David Douglass

Faculty Publications

A senior within a spatial science Ecological Planning capstone course designed an undergraduate research project to increase his spatial science expertise and to assess the hands-on instruction methodology employed within the Bachelor of Science in Spatial Science program at Stephen F Austin State University. The height of 30 building features estimated remotely with LiDAR data, within the Pictometry remotely sensed web-based interface, and in situ with a laser rangefinder were compared to actual building feature height measurements. A comparison of estimated height with actual height indicated that all three estimation techniques tested were unbiased estimators of height. An ANOVA, conducted …

How College Business Students Learn With Emphasis On Differences Between Majors, Nikki Shoemaker, Marie Kelly

Faculty Publications

Students' learning styles play an important role in their success in the classroom and beyond. This study explores the learning styles of business students so that professors can better understand the instructional methods that are most beneficial for their students. A survey of 205 business students in an introductory accounting course revealed that the most common learning style was visual, while the second most common learning style was kinesthetic. These results suggest that a large number of business students process and internalize new information best when they see or actively participate in what they are learning.

Financial Statement Racing, Marie Kelly, Nikki Shoemaker

Faculty Publications

This paper describes an active learning activity called Financial Statement Racing. This game has been used in several introductory financial accounting courses to help students understand the normal balances and financial statement classifications of multiple financial statement accounts. The activity encourages students to work together in a team to place racecars on the appropriate financial statement racetrack in the correct debit or credit lane. These teams compete against other teams in the class to try to win the race to the end of the financial statement racetrack.

Real-World Flowcharting Willy Wonka Style!, Kelly Noe

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development, implementation and outcome of a field-based learning flow-charting project that was conducted in an accounting information systems (AIS) course. The emphasis for the project was strengthening the students' critical thinking skills. This paper advances AIS education by sharing a field-based learning project geared toward AIS.

Language Stimulation Techniques For Three-Year-Old And Four-Year-Old Children: Patterns Of Language Development, Hope Elisabeth Wilson, Jannah Walters Nerren, Carolyn D. Abel

Faculty Publications

One in 4 children in America ages 0-5 live in poverty (Federal Statistics, 2012); this group is far more likely to enter school as linguistically disadvantaged and the gap increases as they progress through school. This study investigates the effect of indirect language stimulation techniques on preschool children enrolled in Head Start programs in rural east Texas. The results from this study indicate differing patterns of language development between 3- and 4-year-old children, in response to their teacher’s use of indirect language stimulation techniques in normal day-to-day teaching. Specifically, the intervention using SPEAK techniques had a positive effect on the …

Leaping The Language Gap: Strategies For Preschool And Head Start Teachers, Carolyn D. Abel, Jannah Walters Nerren, Hope Elizabeth Wilson

Faculty Publications

Strategies that promote the development of language skills are recognized as important in early childhood education. For early childhood centers and care providers, there are also additional concerns that interventions which meet these developmental needs are both time and cost effective. This pilot study investigates the effect of indirect language stimulation (ILS) techniques on the receptive and expressive oral language of 4-year-olds, using techniques that can be easily taught to teachers and implemented in the classroom. Two preschool teachers in a southwest rural community in the United States were randomly assigned for instruction over a 6-month period on effective ways …

Women Superintendents: Promotion Of Other Women To Central Office Administration, Pauline M. Sampson, Gloria Gresham, Stephanie Applewhite, Kerry Roberts

Faculty Publications

More women are leading schools in the role of superintendent, but numbers are still low when compared to men. There is limited research connecting women superintendents and the promotion of other women to leadership positions. Archival data from Texas schools showed that there is no difference between districts led by women superintendents or males for percentages of women central office leaders.

T/V Pronouns In L2 Acquisition Of Spanish, Christopher D. Sams

Faculty Publications

Many languages display a pronominal system in which there are both formal and informal forms to address others. In the L2 Spanish classroom, many English-speaking students unfamiliar with the T/V pronoun system (which is no longer present in English) often are only exposed to a generic set of rules (in the text and by the instructor) governing their usage. The system is a highly complex pragmatic phenomenon and can vary significantly based on factors such as dialect, familiarity, solidarity, emotion, and dispensation right. Lambert (1976) surveyed the phenomenon in Spanish and French and took into account familiarity, solidarity, and dispensation …

Addressing Race And Racism In Early Childhood: Challenges And Opportunities, Flora Farago, Kay Sanders, Larissa Gaias

Faculty Publications

This chapter draws on developmental intergroup theory, parental ethnic-racial socialization literature, anti-bias curricula, and prejudice intervention studies to address the appropriateness of discussing race and racism in early childhood settings. Existing literature about teacher discussions surrounding race and racism is reviewed, best practices are shared, and the need for more research in this area is highlighted. The construct of parental ethnic-racial socialization is mapped onto early childhood anti-bias classroom practices. The chapter also outlines racial ideologies of teachers, specifically anti-bias and colorblind attitudes, and discusses how these ideologies may manifest in classroom practices surrounding race and racism. Colorblind ideology is …

I Took This Picture Because…’: Accessing Teachers' Depictions Of Change [Abstract], Melissa Parker, Kevin Patton, Christina Sinclair

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Tpwd 41wd60 1976.31.7 Cardboard 3d Model, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

Three-dimensional (3D) cardboard model of a Caddo burial vessel (TPWD 1976.31.7) from 41WD60 in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department collections.

Tpwd 41wd60 1976.31.10 3d Cardboard Model, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

Three-dimensional (3D) model of a Caddo burial vessel (TPWD 1976.31.10) from 41WD60 in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department collections.

Tarl_41ce19_424-21, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

Three-dimensional (3D) model of a Caddo burial vessel (TARL_41CE19_424-21) from Caddo Mounds SHS (41CE19) curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory.

Tarl_41ce19_2006-4-84, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

Three-dimensional (3D) model of a Caddo burial vessel (TARL_41CE19_2006-4-84) from Caddo Mounds SHS (41CE19) curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory.

High School Students’ Stereotypic Images Of Scientists In South Korea, Eunjin Bang, Sissy Wong, Tonya D. Jeffery

Faculty Publications

This study explored stereotypical images of scientists held by tenth-grade students at three different gender organized institutions. The three institutions included an all-male, an all-female, and a co-educational high school located in South Korea. A total of 393 tenth-grade students from these three respective schools participated in a Draw-A-Scientist-Test (DAST), which was designed to reveal students’ perceptions about what scientists look like. After initial assessment of the DAST results, small numbers of students from each school were selected for follow-up focus group interviews. A mixed methods technique was used in order to analyse the DAST scores and data from the …

Fixing Advising: A Model For Faculty Advising, Robert M. Crocker, Marlene Kahla, Charlotte Allen

Faculty Publications

This paper addresses mandates to fix the advising process with a focus on faculty advising systems. Measures of student success and satisfaction, administrative issues, and faculty concerns are among the many factors discussed. Regression analysis is used to explore long-voiced faculty complaints that students do not follow advice. A case study is used to illustrate changes in one department’s advising process and measures of student satisfaction are reported. A model of advising components is offered to illustrate practices suggested to realize the full potential of the advising process.

Microblogging: Using Digital Literacies To Engage Middle School English Learners, Carolyn Stufft, Susan Casey

Faculty Publications

As a result of the changing technologies associated with the 21st century, the definition of literacy has changed and expanded (Antonacci & O’Callaghan, 2011) to encompass e-books, text messages, blogs, and even videogames and the peripheral literacies associated with gaming. These new literacies have demonstrated promise for engaging students in literate practices (Gee, 2007; Gerber, 2009). One practice in particular, microblogging, provides a way to engage English learners in writing and responding to text. Microblogging is a participant web technology that allows users to interact and share information in succinct online posts (Hricko, 2010). For middle school English learners, microblogging …

Producing “Society-Ready” Foresters: A Research-Based Process To Revise The Bachelor Of Science In Forestry Curriculum At Stephen F. Austin State University, Steven H. Bullard, Pat Stephens Williams, Theresa Coble, Dean W. Coble, Ray Darville, Laurie Rogers

Faculty Publications

“Society-ready” foresters are capable of dealing effectively with the complex economic, ecological, and social issues involving forestry in the 21st century. To assess the knowledge areas, skill sets, abilities, and behaviors needed by society-ready, entry-level foresters today, we surveyed 800 forestry employers and forestry alumni from Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU), and we also conducted focus group sessions with a total of 58 forestry employers. Important areas of knowledge on emerging issues for society-ready Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF) graduates included climate change, water availability and quality, and dealing with invasive plants, pathogens, and insects. However, the skill …

Validating One-On-One Gps Instruction Methodology For Natural Resource Area Assessments Using Forestry Undergraduate Students, Daniel R. Unger

Faculty Publications

Undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF) at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) attend an intensive 6-week residential hands-on instruction in applied field methods. The intensive 6-week instruction includes learning how to use the Global Positioning System (GPS) with a Garmin eTrex HCx GPS unit to accurately calculate area. Students were instructed how to assess the accuracy of their GPS collected waypoints by calculating the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) comparing their GPS collected area measurements with instructor on-screen digitized area. Student’s average area RMSE between digitized and GPS derived area was 0.015 hectares, whereas instructor’s …

Can Universities Encourage Students Continued Motivation For Knowledge Sharing And How Can This Help Organizations?, Nikki Shoemaker

Faculty Publications

Both practitioners and researchers recognize the increasing importance of knowledge sharing in organizations (Bock, Zmud, Kim, & Lee, 2005; Vera-Muz, Ho, & Chow, 2006). Knowledge sharing influences a firm's knowledge creation, organizational learning, performance achievement, growth, and competitive advantage (Bartol & Srivastava, 2002; Bock & Kim, 2002; Vera-Muz et al., 2006). However, an individual's natural tendency is to hoard knowledge rather than to share knowledge (Davenport, 1997; Ruggles, 1998). So, how can knowledge sharing be encouraged?

Extrinsic rewards are believed to effectively motivate desired behaviors (Bartol & Locke, 2000). Under certain environmental conditions, extrinsic rewards are also believed to develop …

Does The Classroom Delivery Method Make A Difference?, Esther Bunn, Mary Fischer, Treba Marsh

Faculty Publications

This study seeks to determine if a difference exists in student performance and participation between an online and face-to-face Accounting Intermediate I class taught by the same professor. Even though students self-selected which course section to enroll, no significant difference was found to exist between the delivery method of the two courses based on the student's major field of study, gender, and whether or not they commuted to class. No significant difference is found between the assessments of the two class sections membership except the students' course performance. Contrary to prior research, the students enrolled in the online sections did …

Insight For Teacher Preparation Program Administrators: Enhancing Pre-Service Educators’ Intercultural Sensitivity And Deep Proficiency In Culturally Responsive Teaching Through Short-Term Study Abroad, Gloria J. Gresham Dr., Paula Griffin, Tracey Hasbun, Vikki Boatman

Faculty Publications

Teacher preparation program administrators face the issue of expanding curricula to prepare teacher candidates for the diverse population of students they will encounter (Trent, Kea, Oh, 2008). Globalization demands that teacher candidates grasp how to function in a more integrated and interdependent society (McGrew, 2005). According to Smith-Davis (2004) students from non-English speaking countries compose the fastest growing United States K-12 student population, and those identified as limited English proficient were over 10 million in 2004. The United States Census reported in the ''New Census Bureau Report" the number of individuals five and older who speak languages other than English …

Ict Oriented Toward Nyaya: Community Computing In India’S Slums, Erik J. Byker

Faculty Publications

In many schools across India, access to information and communication technology (ICT) is still a rare privilege. While the Annual Status of Education Report in India (2013) showed a marginal uptick in the amount of computers, the opportunities for children to use those computers have remained stagnant. The lack of access to ICT is especially common in India’s urban slum areas, which is privy to the “Matthew Effect” (Merton, 1968) where the poor become poorer based in part on the scarcity of high-tech resources. This article’s purpose is to describe and report on ICT program interventions that target young people …

Sociotechnical Narratives In Rural, High-Poverty Elementary Schools: Comparative Findings From East Texas And South India, Erik J. Byker

Faculty Publications

The article’s purpose is to compare case studies of computer technology use at two rural elementary schools across two international settings. This study uses the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) theory to guide this comparative investigation of how elementary school teachers and students in East Texas and South India construct meaning for computer technology. Building off of SCOT theory, the article also introduces the term, “sociotechnical narratives” as part of the analysis of the meaningful descriptions of ways that social groups use tools in relationship to their wider social context. The article found that even though the two settings, East …