Education Commons^™

¡Sí Se Puede!: Understanding The Experiences Of Latina Students During Their Doctoral Journey At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Flor Del Rocio Acevedo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The existing body of literature on Latinas has mostly been focused on the undergraduate student experience (Hernandez, 2002; Hurtado et al., 1996; Kena et al., 2016; Tinto & Goodsell, 1994; Torres, 2004). Additionally, despite the increasing participation of women in graduate education since the 1980s (Walker et al., 2008), Latinas have been and continue to be underrepresented in doctoral programs and the professorate (Myers, 2016). In spite of recent increases in enrollment, Latinas attained just 8.8 percent of the doctoral degrees awarded from 2018-2019 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). As Latinas are projected to account for a third of …

Rewriting The Graduate Experience: A Study Of The Writing Experiences Of University Of Texas At El Paso Graduate Students Across Disciplines, Jennifer L. Wilhite

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Graduate writing can manifest as a barrier to successful and timely degree completion as writing is the primary modality in which graduate programs use to evaluate depth of learning and quality of knowledge created. Native language status, inexperience with advanced academic genres, time away from the academy, and socialization struggles are factors that can aggravate writing challenges. The purpose of this qualitative study is to better understand the graduate writing experiences of twelve women returning to the academy. The study asks if writing manifests as a barrier to completing their graduate programs, ascertains what kinds of graduate-level writing supports they …

Developing And Validating The Student Assessment-Based Feedback Literacy (Safl) Instrument: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Yiyu Liao

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Feedback has great influences on student retention and completion, especially on the minority students in higher education. However, the debates on the paradoxical difference between feedback’s theoretical potential and its effect in actual practice remain unsettled. This study seeks to address some primary issues in feedback research by conceptualizing student assessment-based feedback literacy (SAFL) and developing the SAFL instrument. The systematic literature reviews in the study identify two trends of assessment-based feedback in higher education: no universal definition of assessment feedback and the lack of explicit understanding of how assessment and feedback literacies interacted. By building on the exiting student …

Leading In Gendered Spaces: Women Presidents' Perceptions Of Their Experiences In Community Colleges, Keri Moe

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Gender inequality in leadership is an ongoing challenge found in higher education, including community colleges. Since women remain underrepresented in leadership positions at community colleges, specifically as college presidents, the purpose of this study was to document and better understand the experiences of women in these roles by focusing on three research questions:

• RQ 1: How do women presidents describe their experience in male-dominated community colleges?
• RQ 2: How do gender identity and gender expectations of women impact the behavior of women community college presidents?
• RQ 3: How do women presidents navigate their role within male-dominated community colleges?

Through the …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Direct-Ink-Writing Of Syntactic Foams, Andrea Irigoyen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This project encompasses three different methods to fabricate syntactic foams using a PDMS matrix i.e., hollow spheres inclusion, pore generator leaching by solvent, and emulsion. The foam formation by using polysiloxane hollow spheres is done in a 3-step process. The first step is to create a core of polystyrene following a dispersion polymerization process. The goal for the size of the pore is to monodisperse and have an average diameter of 5-10 μm, so the polystyrene core must be as well within that range. After that, the cores are coated with a polysiloxane shell by following a polymerization by condensation …

Inform, Educate, And Guide: A Study On The Impacts Of The Law School Preparation Institute At The University Of Texas At El Paso, Rachel Serrano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Between 1998 and 2018, the Law School Preparation Institute (LSPI) at The University of Texas at El Paso helped send four-hundred and nineteen students to law schools across the United States. The mission of the LSPI aims to prepare its students to be competitive in the application process and in law school. The preparation is accomplished by providing help with the law school application. The preparation is also accomplished by creating an environment where students feel supported and prepared for the rigorous workload of law school. The techniques students acquire in the LSPI intend to make the life altering transition …

Examination Of Enrollment Patterns And Behaviors Of High School Graduating Seniors At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Gustavo Monzon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) are seeking new methods of improving efficiency and effectiveness in recruiting new undergraduate students. The investment of resources can be optimized through the use of predictive modeling. For example, the IHE may consider using predictive modeling as a means of determining where it may achieve optimal marginal returns on investment of marketing and operational resources. Through an understanding of factors influencing college choice, and the impact these factors have on the college choice process and subsequent participation in post-secondary education, it is hypothesized that the application of predictive modeling may support IHEâ??s in advancing opportunities …

A Mixed Methods Study Of Impostor Phenomenon In A Hispanic Serving Institution, Olympia Caudillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Impostor phenomenon is a psychological experience where a highly talented individual doubts innate skills and accomplishments. Instead, success is attributed to factors other than intellectual ability, so the individual fears exposure as a fraud. Experiences of impostor phenomenon among students enrolled in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) remains under-researched. This mixed-methods study aims to explore impostor phenomenon between doctoral students enrolled in a Hispanic Serving Institution based on existing research on impostor phenomenon, conducted in predominantly White institutions. The first phase of the study focuses on exploring impostor phenomenon in relation to doctoral studentsâ?? gender, type of program and generational status; …

Achieve Scholarship: A Policy Process Case Study, Sandra Rocha

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study applies the policy process framework and bounded rationality theory to look at a specific program, about specific stakeholders, within a policy process, and during a specific timeframe. The purpose of this study was to document the process of establishing and describing how the programâ??s stakeholders navigate, collaboratively, through the policy process of deciding whether to adopt a version of Texas Promise in El Paso. This was not a study on the entire six phases of the policy process. The focus of the research was to understand how the stakeholders maneuver through the initial three phases of the policy …

Predictive Measures Of College Academic Success For Secondary Students At An Hispanic Serving Institution, Steven Smith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of one of the latest Texas legislative efforts to increase the college readiness of Texas high school graduates. The study assessed whether students falling under this mandated measure of college readiness are as successful in their college level math and English courses as students who pass the Texas Success Initiative Assessment. Using a secondary data set, a set of binary logistic regression models were developed to analyze the predictive value of six variables in determining student success in their first college level math or English course. Descriptive statistics were used …

To Intervene Or Not To Intervene: A Qualitative Study On Combating Sexual Violence Through Bystander Intervention In The U.S.-Mexico Border Region, Jovita Simon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sexual violence is a public health problem affecting high rates of college students (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). Per the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), "one in five women and one in 16 men" are survivors of sexual assaults while attending college (National Sexual Violence Resource Center [NSVRC], 2015, p. 2). Unfortunately, over 90% of sexual violence incidents are not reported to university officials (NSVRC, 2015). Sexual violence is pervasive; as such, higher education administrators have established educational programs to prevent incidents from occurring on campus. The purpose of this qualitative study aimed at understanding how …

"The Complete Disregard For Our Children's Lives, The Targeting Of A Community That Can't Fight Back:" Families' Testimonios On Resisting School Closures On The U.S.-Mexico Border, Joshua Acevedo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Through the use of Latinx Critical Race Theory (LatCrit), with testimonios as a method of inquiry, this study analyzed families' experiences that led them to resist school closures. This study also chronicled families' experiences with the transition to new schools, after the school closures. Once schools closed, families described their transition to new schools. LatCrit was applied to interpret school closures through a social justice lens and understand how families experienced interconnected oppression related to their race/ethnicity, class, culture, immigration status, socioeconomic status, language, environment, and gender. The testimonialistas in this study were all members of Familias Unidas del Chamizal, …

Key Performance Indicators Of Health Cte Students At For-Profit Colleges And Public Community Colleges, Souraya Hajjar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The advent of for-profit colleges to the higher education scene in the U.S. has challenged public community colleges on all levels; financial, academic, and consumerism. Research has shown that key performance indicators are more favorable at public community colleges than at for-profit colleges. Determining size and type of colleges, ethnicity and gender differences that contribute to total graduation rate of health Career and Technical Education (CTE) students will add to the limited research on the relationship between these constructs and provide information to prospective health CTE students about college enrollment. The study aims to examine institutional performance variables to assist …