Education Commons^™

In Their Own Voices: A Nationwide Study Of Students’ Attitudes Towards The Implementation Of Smart Learning Environments In Uae Schools, Maria Efstratopoulou, Maxwell Peprah Opoku, Aizhan Shomotova, Christina Davison, Abdulrafi Jaffarul, Aalya Mesmar

All Works

A smart learning environment (SLE) encompasses the use of advanced technology and smart pedagogical teaching skills tailored to suit students with diverse learning needs. In recent years, some countries, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have formulated policies to implement SLE in their education systems. Since students are the intended beneficiaries of SLE policy, it is crucial to explore their perceptions of its implementation in a novel context. Therefore, this study explored the attitudes of students towards the implementation of SLE in the UAE. To conduct this investigation, 1857 secondary school students (grades 7 and 12) were recruited nationwide. …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Educational Needs Of Military-Connected Students Transitioning From Military Connected Schools To Non-Military Connected Schools, Dale John Wertman Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the needs of military-connected (MC) students transitioning from MC schools to non-MC schools. The research helped to understand the transition of former MC students from MC to non-MC schools. The theory guiding this study was Schlossberg’s transition theory, which is modeled from analyzing human adaptation to transition. The central research question guiding this study was, “What are the shared lived experiences of MC students who transitioned from MC schools to non-MC schools?” The design of this research was a transcendental phenomenological approach to gain a textual description of the essences …

Parent Perspectives For Elementary Instrumental Music Participation, Scott Wayne Mcgowan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted to understand participation issues surrounding elementary instrumental music programs from a parent's perspective. Many school districts’ elementary instrumental music programs have continued with a district-funded model with classes that meet during the school day. The school district in this study adopted an outside-the-school-day model that is tuition-based. The study utilized semi-structured interviews and observations from the researcher. A quality music education program should include the highest possible number of students. This study uncovers the motivating factors in elementary instrumental music participation. It also reveals potential barriers to entry. Music educators can use the results …

Secondary Math Teachers’ Responses To Errors In The Classroom, Richie Vicinanza

Honors College Theses

This study was conducted in an effort to find out how modern-day secondary math teachers respond to errors in their classrooms and the reasonings behind their responses. To fulfill the purpose of this study, various methods of research were used to gather information. Methods included looking into the scholarly sources surrounding the topic as well as a primary-conducted study in the field. Participants of this study were high school math teachers. The participants engaged in two semi-structured interviews (an initial and a debrief) as well as an observation that was conducted during one of their classes. Through the initial interview, …

Ouachita Announces Another Increase For Spring '24 Enrollment, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University has reported its highest spring enrollment in more than 40 years with a total Spring 2024 headcount of 1,722.

The university has sustained momentum in student recruitment and retention, maintaining steady growth with a total enrollment surge of 20% since 2016 in contrast to reports of declining enrollment in colleges and universities nationwide.

Ouachita's Fall 2023 Enrollment Highest In 57 Years, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University has reported its highest enrollment in 57 years, with a Fall 2023 headcount of 1,815.

Since 2016, the university has sustained momentum that’s reflected in a 20% increase in total enrollment and a 14% growth in undergraduate enrollment. Residential undergraduate enrollment now numbers 1,581. There are 81 students enrolled in Ouachita’s six graduate programs this fall, more than doubling the number who enrolled when graduate programs were reintroduced in 2020 through the university’s expanding catalog.

Does Course Completion Time Affect Student Inter-University Transfer? An Investigation From Selected Private Universities In Kenya, Mercy Igoki, Kibaara Tarsilla, Paul Maku Gichohi

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between the course completion time and student mobility. This study employed a descriptive quantitative survey design. This study targeted 26 registered private universities (including private university constituents where mobility rate records are too high) in Nairobi County, Kenya. The research sample size was 180 private university students and nine registrars. Version 22.0 of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used in the analyses of quantitative data. Descriptive analysis, inferential statistics, and regression analysis were used to analyse the findings. Descriptive statistics such as standard deviation, mean scores and percentages …

Analysis Of General Nutritional Knowledge Of High School Students, Tiffany Wheat

Masters Theses

Background: High school student nutritional knowledge is an under-researched demographic in the U.S. The present study aimed to explore the general nutritional knowledge of high school students and examine if there are any differences between sex, grade level, and BMI. Methods: The General Nutritional Knowledge Questionnaire-Revised (GNKQ-R) was employed to measure the nutritional knowledge level of a sample of local high school students enrolled in a food sciences/culinary arts class. Data were analyzed using GNU PSPP and Microsoft Excel 2016. Results: The results indicated although differences existed between the groups there were no statistical differences between gender, BMI, and grade …

Naturi Harris And Marcus Mcgahee Receive Ouachita's Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University students Naturi Harris and Marcus McGahee have been named the recipients of the 2023 Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award for Black student leaders. They both will receive $2,500.

Established in 2020, the scholarship honors the legacy of civil rights activist and Arkadelphia native Annie Abrams of Little Rock, Ark., and recognizes students who have demonstrated leadership and service within Ouachita’s Multicultural Organization Reaching Equality (MORE), living out the university’s mission to live lives of meaningful work.

Madison Melcher Wins $5,000 In Annual Ouachita Business Plan Competition, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University’s Hickingbotham School of Business hosted its 13th annual Business Plan Competition in December. Madison Melcher, a senior business administration major from Rockwall, Texas, placed first in the competition with her business plan, Covered by Grace, and received a $5,000 cash prize. Melcher was advised by Johan Eriksson, visiting instructor of business administration and director of entrepreneurship programs.

Megan Foshee Selected For National League For Nursing Leadership Program, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Megan Foshee, assistant professor and coordinator of the nursing simulation lab in Ouachita Baptist University’s Department of Nursing, has been selected for the National League for Nursing’s 2023 Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators. The year-long initiative is part of the NLN Leadership Institute.

The simulation leadership development initiative is designed for experienced nurse educators in the simulation field who want to have a leadership role in simulation.

Foshee is one of 15 education simulationists chosen to participate this year in the program, which cultivates leadership skills in nurse educators who have already gained experience at work in the field. …

Three Ouachita Seniors Intern For U.S. Sen. John Boozman, Addie Woods, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Three students from Ouachita Baptist University completed a five-week congressional internship for U.S. Sen. John Boozman this summer. Noah Sanders, a senior political science and Christian studies double major from Little Rock, Ark., and Sarah Spakes, a senior political science and public history double major from Benton, Ark., interned in Boozman’s Washington, D.C., office while Kathryn Totty, a senior political science and communications & media double major from Camden, Ark., interned in Boozman’s El Dorado office.

International Trauma-Informed Practice Principles For Schools (Itipps): Expert Consensus Of Best-Practice Principles, Karen Martin, Madeleine Dobson, Kate Fitzgerald, Madeleine Ford, Stephan Lund, Helen Egeberg, Rebecca Walker, Helen Milroy, Keane Wheeler, Amanda Kasten-Lee, Lisa Bayly, Angela Gazey, Sarah Falconer, Monique Platell, Emily Berger

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Recognition that schools should be responsive to children who are impacted by adversity and trauma is burgeoning internationally. However, consensus regarding the necessary components of a trauma-informed school is lacking. This research developed expert-informed and internationally relevant best-practice trauma-informed principles for schools. A four-phase methodology included (i) identification of school-relevant trauma-informed practice programs, (ii) inductive thematic analysis of the main concepts underlying programs, (iii) phrasing of draft Principles and (iv) Principle revision and finalisation via a two-round Delphi survey with international experts. Excellent agreement by experts on the importance of all Principles was achieved (round 1 ≥ 86.4%, 2 ≥ …

Observed And Perceived Benefits Of Providing Physical Activity Opportunities In Elementary Schools: A Qualitative Study, Timothy J Walker, Derek W Craig, Christopher D Pfledderer, Michael C Robertson, Paula Cuccaro, Keisey Fumero, John B Bartholomew

Journal Articles

INTRODUCTION: Schools play an important role in promoting physical activity for youth. However, school-based physical activity opportunities often compete with other academic priorities, limiting their implementation. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore elementary school teacher and staff perspectives on providing physical activity opportunities and how they impact students and learning.

METHODS: We partnered with a school district in Texas to conduct semi-structured individual interviews. We used a purposeful sampling approach to recruit elementary teachers and staff knowledgeable about the physical activity opportunities provided at their school. Interviews included questions about participant opinions of providing physical activity opportunities …

The Importance Of Trust And Authenticity Among Stakeholders Involved In Higher Education Data Infrastructure Redevelopments: An Australian Critical Discourse Study, Elizabeth Cook

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Governments require higher education providers (HEPs) to be transparent in their use of public funds and have developed specialised higher education (HE) data infrastructure to enable the data transfer from HEPs to government departments. In 2018, Australia’s Department of Education, Skills and Employment launched Transforming the Collection of Student Information (TCSI) to enhance HE data infrastructure for student data transfer. This critical discourse study explores the discourses, discursive strategies and perspectives surrounding TCSI. Findings included HEP issues and concerns that the interviewees believed were inadequately addressed or ignored despite the Department’s claims of extensive engagement with HEPs to achieve mutually …

Improving The Reading Skills Of Struggling Secondary Students In A Real-World Setting: Issues Of Implementation And Sustainability, Susan Main, Susan Hill, Annamaria Paolino

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Reading difficulties have been associated with limited academic success and related social-emotional outcomes including anxiety and low motivation. Recent research on the educational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that children with poor reading skills were disproportionally disadvantaged. This growing number of students experiencing reading difficulties will require effective implementation of strategies to prevent long-term disadvantage, including in the challenging context of secondary schools where teachers are unfamiliar with reading instruction and constrained by timetabling of subjects and teachers. This research examined whether a Direct Instruction programme could be implemented with fidelity in the real world of a secondary school …

Understanding Student Experiences Of College Mental Health-Related Resources And Policies Since The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study, Donna Aron Sepulveda-Shelton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the experiences regarding mental health-related resources and policies since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic for undergraduate students at higher education institutions in northern Georgia. The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s social cognitive theory, as it explores motivators and factors for human behavior and attitude. A phenomenological research design was used to determine common themes among college students enrolled in higher education institutions in northern Georgia before and throughout the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic. The higher education institutions were within an 80-mile radius, as these colleges were required to …

First-Generation Leaders: A Qualitative Examination Of Characteristics, Traits, And Identity Of First-Generation Graduates In Leadership, Jamie Woolery

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study looked at first-generation college graduates and their paths to successful leadership roles. First-generation college students are defined by the National Association of Personnel Administrators (NASPA) as students from families in which their biological parents did not complete a four-year college degree (NASPA, 2017). An investigation was conducted on demographics, access to education, opportunity, and other factors that lend themselves to successful first-generation leaders who changed the narrative for themselves and their communities. This study looked at the previously conducted literature to provide background support for the need of the research, along with further recommendations and interviews which added …

Nursing Practicum Equity For A Changing Nurse Student Demographic: A Qualitative Study, Lesley Andrew, Julie Dare, Ken Robinson, Leesa Costello

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: The nursing practicum (clinical practice) is an essential but often highly stressful aspect of the nursing degree. A review of the published literature reveals a strong focus on the stressors that originate within the practicum environment, rather than the student’s life outside the university and practice setting. This article reports on an Australian study, completed before the COVID-19 pandemic, of the university experiences of undergraduate women nurse students with family responsibilities. The findings reveal the importance of factors outside the university on the women students’ practicum experience and their ability to engage and achieve. Methods: The study was qualitative, …

Hartsell Awarded Mid-America Regional Emmy For Battle Of The Ravine Video Essay, Kaitlyn Stoddard, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University junior Chase Hartsell was awarded a Regional EMMYⓇ for his video essay about the Ouachita-Henderson State University football rivalry Battle of the Ravine, titled “A November Morn.” The award was presented to him by the Mid-America chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) at the 46th annual Regional EMMYⓇ Gala on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch in St. Louis, Mo.

According to John Paul, chair of the NATAS Mid-America education committee, the Mid-America chapter honors high school and college students with awards called crystal pillars that …

Faith Development In Eighth-Grade Christian Students Studying Creation-Theory-Based Science: A Phenomenological Study, Stephen Matthew Lowe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived faith development experiences of eighth-grade Christian students following a creation-theory-based curriculum at a Northern Michigan Christian school. The 12 male and female students who participated were aged 13–14 years and self-identified as Christian. The study setting was a small Christian middle school in Northern Michigan. Researchers have thoroughly investigated many aspects of faith development but had not addressed the faith development of eighth-grade Christian students following a creation-theory-based curriculum. The theoretical framework underlying the study was Fowler’s faith development theory. Data were triangulated from semistructured interviews, focus groups, …

Student Loan Debt In Mountain West States, Zachary Walusek, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet summarizes findings on student loan debt across Mountain West states from “Student Loan Debt by State,” a report by the Education Data Initiative.

Dnp Final Report: Mission Cyborg: An Ebp Project Integrating Hybrid Learning In An Undergraduate Nursing Course, Mary A. Thomas

DNP Final Reports

In modern times it is an expectation of students that technology be incorporated into how they receive their education. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light how pure reliance on traditional face-to-face (F2F) learning can be detrimental to student learning. Many institutes of higher education had already implemented hybrid/blended learning prior to the pandemic and saw no difference in their NCLEX-RN pass rates. This evidence-based practice project gathered, reviewed, and synthesized evidence in order to determine if implementing different teaching strategies would maintain or improve student performance on both unit exams and end of course exit exams.

Ouachita Theatre Department Presents Musical By Senior Sammy Campione From Feb. 16-21, Felley Lawson, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

The Department of Theatre Arts at Ouachita Baptist University will present “Tanglewood,” a musical written and directed by senior Sammy Campione, from Feb. 16-21 in Verser Theatre, 409 Ouachita Street. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 16-17; Saturday, Feb. 19; and Monday, Feb. 21. A matinee is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 20, at 2:30 p.m.

“Tanglewood” was selected for the department’s annual Muse Project, which allows students majoring in theatre, musical theatre or theatre education to create works based on what most inspires them and then bring those works to the stage.

A Circular Pedagogy For Higher Education, Lucia Morales, Jon-Hans Coetzer, Nadia Barkoczi, Lia Pop, Claudia Marian, Patrick Flynn

Working Papers

Over the last two decades, higher education has been subject to significant scrutiny due to increasing pressures to provide a meaningful and relevant learning experience to the student population, and by their strong connection to the functioning of the economic and political systems. By reflecting on the controversies surrounding pedagogy, this paper contributes to the current debate by exploring pedagogy as a circular process where learners grow and develop by taking different roles and identities as they navigate a research-informed learning continuum defined by growing levels of complexity and uncertainty. This study introduces a new pedagogical paradigm for adult education, …

Ouachita Receives Prerequisite Approval For 4-Year Bsn Program In Arkadelphia, Felley Lawson, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University received prerequisite approval last week from the Arkansas State Board of Nursing to establish a 4-year, residential pre-licensure program offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

“It is an historic time for Ouachita and our nursing students,” said Dr. Brenda Trigg, director of nursing in Ouachita’s Patterson School of Natural Sciences. “Offering a 4-year residential BSN program will allow students to experience Ouachita’s student-focused culture, study with experienced, qualified faculty and prepare for a career that will serve patients in the state, region and beyond.”

Ouachita To Build 144-Bed Student Apartment Complex For Fall 2022, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University will break ground on a 144-bed, $12.6 million student apartment complex this month, with plans for it to be open for the Fall 2022 semester.

The apartments are phase two of Project Foresight, an initiative the university launched three years ago. Project Foresight encompasses eight acres and 30 properties on the southwest edge of campus, including many that were vacant and seriously deteriorated.

Phase one of Project Foresight included leasing land to alumni-owned Pediatrics Plus, a children’s specialty healthcare clinic. The company built an $8 million facility adjacent to Ouachita’s campus that opened in January 2021. It …

Ouachita Graduate Named Alpha Chi H.Y. Benedict Fellowship Fourth Alternate, Mandy Halbert, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Alpha Chi National College Honor Society named Sidney Salyers of Sugar Land, Texas, the $3,000 H.Y. Benedict Fellowship fourth alternate at the Alpha Chi National Convention in April. Salyers graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication sciences and disorders from Ouachita Baptist University in May.

The H.Y. Benedict Fellowship is awarded to nominees for their first year of graduate study at any institution. Nominees must complete their undergraduate degree in the year of their application for the fellowship and must enroll in a full-time graduate or professional program for the following semester. Applicants for the …

Deliberate Indifference: An Exploration Of The Student Survivor Activism Group Movement, Shyla Kallhoff

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

#MeToo. It’s On Us. End Rape on Campus. #BeTheSwede. Dear UNL. These phrases have united people all over the world to use their voices and speak out about sexual violence. In higher education, these statements empower students to make their voices heard, and simultaneously invoke fear in campus administrators who do not want to be held accountable for the mishandling/lack of Title IX cases. Student survivor activism groups, the subject of this study, have formed at universities around the country and often use similar statements to advocate for changes they feel need to happen. Finding no previous research, it is …

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Student Cell Phone Use In The Classroom: A Case Study, Summer Dawn Dupont

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study discovered high school teachers’ perceptions of student cell phone use in the classroom at Battery Creek High School. The theory which guided this study is based on Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory and social constructivism as it pertains to the environment children grow up in affects how they think and what they think about. The case study utilized semi-structured interviews of teachers, a teacher survey, and followed by focus groups created from common themes found. The data gathered was analyzed through the method of open coding and selective coding using bold/italics and then …