Education Commons^™

Educational Leaders Perceptions Of Emotional Intelligence And How It Effects Their Professional Practice, Yaffa Krugliak Lahat

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Researchers argue that Emotional Intelligence (EI) plays a key role in effective and successful leadership (Goleman et al., 2004; Rosete & Ciarrochi, 2005; Chan, 2007). Although other researchers claimed that these assertions lean "little empirical support" (Ciarrochi, Deane & Anderson, 2002), Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2004) assert that EI is essential for leadership because leaders work through emotions and their primal job is emotional. With most of this research done in the business world, this study focuses on the role of EI in educational leadership. The purposes of this study are to explore and to construct new knowledge regarding educational …

The Impact Of On-Line Training On College Faculty Attitudes And Knowledge Of Students With Disabilities, Wayne M. Pollock

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Due to legislation, advances in technology, and hopefully, a more positive social acceptance, students with disabilities are entering college at a faster rate than has ever been experienced. Data reveal that the largest increase in identified disabilities of incoming college freshmen are in the area of learning disabilities. However, many students with disabilities do not complete their college education, partly due to faculty members' lack of knowledge about various disabilities, less than accepting attitudes, and the lack of accommodations made for them. Using the Scale of Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons (SADP) and the Disability Knowledge Questionnaire, the impact of an …

The Effect Of Virtual Clinical Gaming Simulations On Student Learning Outcomes In Medical-Surgical Nursing Education Courses, Robin A. Lewis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine what the effects of virtual clinical simulation instruction were on the learning outcomes of students in higher education medical-surgical nursing education courses. This study fills a gap in the literature by adding data to the body of knowledge related to the use of this strategy for practical application in the classroom. This study used a causal comparative design. Data were acquired from the ATI Content Mastery Series (CMS) 2.1 Medical Surgical Examination ™ information for the fall 2006 through fall 2008 academic semesters. Additionally, data were collected using a pre- and post-course …

Nursing Faculty Shortage: Nurses' Perceptions As A Key To Administrative Solutions, Evelyn M. Klocke

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The nursing faculty shortage is well documented. Higher education administrators turn away qualified student applicants because of the lack of qualified nursing faculty. Furthermore, they find recruitment and retention of qualified nursing faculty a challenge. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of the nursing faculty role, causes of the faculty shortage, and solutions to the shortage as perceived by: 1) nurses currently in a faculty role and 2) nurses with a master’s degree who were not employed in a full-time faculty position. A qualitative study using the phenomenological method was undertaken. Two groups of nurses were interviewed. …

Attitude Change Of Educators Utilizing Best Practices In Education, Sonya Christian

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

It is purported that educator attitudes are highly important in many areas of education. This study examined if educator attitude change occurred as a result of teaching in a six-week summer school enrichment program that implements research-supported best practices in education. Participants were predominantly white female education students enrolled in a graduate school in West Virginia. Sixty-seven of them responded to a pre-post Likert-type survey developed by professors at the institution. Data was collected over two summers. Analysis of the data included bar graph comparisons and a Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test (p<0.05). The conclusions from this study yielded changes in educator attitudes on three questions in the survey. Implications for future study in this area are discussed.

Effects Of Mentoring Preservice Teachers On Inservice Teachers In Professional Development School Environments, Marianne Pratschler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Colleges and universities collaborte with P-12 public schools in professional development school (PDS) partnerships to improve teacher training, provide professional development for inservice teachers, improve student achievement, and promote action research. Most research has been done on advantages for preservice teachers and for students in classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand inservice teachers' mentoring experiences in order for a local college to support and enrich the professional lives of inservice teachers. Research questions addressed inservice teachers' perceptions regarding mentoring interactions, effects on their own classroom practices, and professional growth. The purposeful sample was comprised of …

Latina Sorority Involvement And The College Experience: Social And Academic Impact, Darilis Garcia-Mcmillian

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Membership in a Latina-based sorority communicates messages to sisters as well as the university community. These messages usually reflected the goals and principles of the organization which is often what attracts women to join. Once they are part of the sorority their affiliation impacts their college experience. This study looks at the effect Greek membership has on participants' social and academic lives. Through narrative analysis the women's responses were examined to understand their perceptions of how joining Delta Tau Lambda Sorority impacted their college experience. The human and rhetorical agency of members was examined through their survey responses. Their experiences …

Personality Traits, Self -Efficacy Of Job Performance, And Susceptibility To Stress As Predictors Of Academic Performance Of Nurse Education Programs, Nancy Wilson-Soga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States is experiencing a shortage of registered nurses, and institutions of higher education are unable to graduate enough prepared nurses to reduce this employment shortage. A significant relationship between personality traits and academic performance has been found; however, how personality traits combine with students' self-efficacy of job performance and stress susceptibility to impact nursing students' academic performance has yet to be demonstrated. This study, grounded in the five-factor model (FFM) of personality traits, self-efficacy, and stress theories, sought to determine whether self-assessments of the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, the Nursing Practice Self-Efficacy survey, and the Susceptibility Under Stress Survey …

Social Construction Of Knowledge In A Semiformal, Long -Term Learning Environment: A Qualitative Study, Alycia Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social learning plays a critical role in cognitive apprenticeship, community of practice, and knowledge production theories. Gunawardena's interaction analysis model, which provides a means of evaluating discourse for social construction of knowledge, is comprised of five phases: (a) sharing and comparing, (b) disagreement, (c) negotiation and co-construction of new knowledge, (d) testing of knew knowledge, and (e) use or phrasing of new knowledge. There is a paucity of research that has empirically explored social construction of knowledge, especially in an extended semiformal asynchronous graduate learning experience. This study explored two research questions: whether social construction of knowledge took place, and …

The Impact Of A First -Year Learning Community On Student Persistence: Perceptions Of Community College Students, David Gerkin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This descriptive case study explored the perceptions of former community college first year learning community participants on aspects of their learning community experience that affected their persistence in college using Astin's student involvement theory and Tinto's student persistence model as a conceptual framework. Learning communities have been shown to increase student persistence, but little is known about how they do so. A better understanding of how learning communities contribute to increased student persistence would improve learning community practice and gain administrative support for learning communities. This study used a mixed methods research design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative …

Technology Integration: A Study On The Impact Of Increased Technology Access, Gina Kuker

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Colleges with teacher education programs have struggled to integrate technology into the curriculum. While access to technology has increased and support for technology usage is present, technology integration has not dramatically changed within the majority of classrooms (Cuban, 2001; Opperheimer, 1997; Stenson & Bagwell, 1999). Education faculty members should model effective technology integration within their classrooms in order for their preservice educators to see examples of how to incorporate technology into teaching and learning. Teachers tend to teach the way that they were taught (Judson & Swanda, 2001; Lortie, 1975). Without seeing how to integrate technology use across content areas, …

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 …

A Comparison Of Face-To-Face And Online Learning Environments To Prepare Teachers To Use Technology, Ashley Janel Addis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigated the similarities and differences in the implementation of face-to-face and online versions of an undergraduate educational technology course for elementary teacher candidates. A common course project, the Innovations Mini-teach , was the focus of the investigation. Twenty-four students participated in the face-to-face section, 22 were enrolled in the online section, and the instructor was the same for both classes. Through this investigation, similarities and differences were identified in the nature of the learning experience as well as student outcomes. Similarities included how the project was introduced, structured, and facilitated. Key differences pertained to the nature of collaboration …

Determinants Of Academic Achievement And Intention To Complete The Program Among Pga Golf Management Students, Brian James Soule

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students enrolled in PGA Golf Management programs at five public universities were surveyed to determine what contributed to their academic achievement, i.e., grades, and their intention to successfully complete their academic program. The Eccles expectancy-value model of activity behaviors was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The results of regression analyses indicated that the students' perceptions that their parents and peers believed that they could successfully complete their degree requirements, as well as their own self-efficacy beliefs, predicted their academic achievement, but not their intention to complete the program. The results of regression analyses indicated also that the …

Quality Assurance Policies In The European Higher Education Area: A Comparative Case Study, Joanna Maria Jezierska

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

European tertiary education became an important topic of the main leaders of the world academia a decade ago, when 29 European countries voluntarily signed the Bologna Declaration of 1999. This intergovernmental European initiative of educational reform, known as the Bologna Process, defines a common framework for higher education systems, and encourages the development of quality assurance within and between institutions of higher education. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the implementation process of quality assurance policy, The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, in two European countries: the United Kingdom and Poland, including the quality …

Beliefs And Practices Of Expert Respiratory Care Faculty On Critical-Thinking Learning: A Case Study, James Leland Hulse

Dissertations

Problem. The development of critical-thinking skills during the professional training of respiratory therapists is imperative for good practice. Research evidence suggests that interactive instructional strategies are far more effective than traditional lectures. Missing from the literature are thick descriptions of how faculty organize the delivery of respiratory therapy curriculum to develop critical thinking. This case study describes the beliefs and practices of faculty members in an academically strong program in view of developing critical thinking.

Method. A qualitative, single case-study design was used to identify critical-thinking strategies and beliefs incorporated by the faculty. The program was nominated by expert members …

A Study Of Seton Hall University And The Attributes Of Organizational Adaptation Employed In Fashioning Its Catholic Identity And Mission In The Post-Vatican Ii Era (1966-2006), Nicholas F. Mazza

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This thesis is the first fully developed and published study of Seton Hall University. It specifically examines the organizational structures of Seton Hall University over a forty year period in light of the tumultuous changes in the Catholic Church and Catholic academia post-Vatican 11. Of particular importance is change that influenced the Catholic identity and mission of the university. The author examines the central problems arising from the changes influenced by the actions of the Vatican Council as well as the concerns expressed by Catholic academic, namely, academic freedom and the issues of higher education governance. These two factors spearheaded …