Education Commons^™

Covid 19 And Classroom Instruction: A Comparison Of Synchronous In-Person And Virtual Student Learning, Jason Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ex-post facto quantitative study was to compare English Language Arts (ELA) and math Tennessee Compressive Assessment Program (TCAP) scores of students in grades four through eight who attended school virtually or in-person during the 2020-2021 school year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school district in this study allowed parents to choose to send their children to traditional in-person classes or attend school virtually. In-person and virtual students engaged synchronous classroom instruction through Google Meets. All virtual students were instructed by the teachers they would have had if their parents had chosen to send them for …

Do No More Harm: Changing The Classroom In Response To Covid-19 Trauma, Erin M. Adams

The Vermont Connection

The COVID-19 pandemic was a worldwide trauma that has long lasting effects that we are still yet to discover. For current college-aged students, many of them experienced the COVID-19 pandemic during key developmental stages of their lives. Many student affair professionals have noted the difference between the students who were in college when the pandemic hit and those who were not. This article examines trauma through the lens of trauma informed practices and high impact practices and makes recommendations on how educators can change their classrooms to better serve students.

Investigating Experiences During Times Of Uncertainty: A Phenomenological Study Of High School Educators, Selinna Creasy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the motivation to educate during times of uncertainty for high school educators at an urban Virginian public high school. This study examined the influence of different factors on job satisfaction relating to recognition, growth, relationships, and remuneration. The theory of motivation-hygiene served as the guiding principle, emphasizing the importance of internal and external factors in enhancing job satisfaction. In terms of methodology, a phenomenological transcendental approach was employed. The sample consisted of high school educators teaching students in urban Virginian schools in Grades 9 through 12. The study included 14 participants …

Leading Change During Crisis: Nonprofit Leaders’ Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jose A. Diaz Jr.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover which experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic led to leadership and organizational changes within nonprofit organizations located in southern Florida. Data for the study were collected by interviewing leaders of five nonprofit organizations that provided human and social services to individuals and families before, during, and after the pandemic. The participants discussed some of the challenges they experienced with social distancing protocols, service delivery continuity to service users, and the concerns among staff and volunteers. Four themes were common among the participants of the study: operational restrictions, technological adaptations, staff morale and …

Evaluating College Students’ Health Literacyand Its Effects On Their Perceptions Of Informationconcerning Mask-Wearing In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah S. Ketchum

ELAIA

Background Mask-wearing was a controversial and polarizing phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beliefs concerning mask-wearing differed depending on sources of information concerning the pandemic, levels of health literacy, political leaning, demographics, or other factors. This project attempted to connect college students’ level of health literacy to their understanding of and adherence to mask-wearing in the COVID- 19 pandemic. There is a gap in research connecting health literacy to understanding information concerning pandemics and an even bigger lack of studies conducted that relate college students’ health literacy to their perception of illnesses or pandemics. It is important to understand the impact …

What Hospitality And Tourism Higher Educators Learned From Covid-19: A Case Of Turkiye, Ayse Collins, Ayse S. Dulger, Muharrem Tuna, Muzaffer Uysal

Journal of Global Education and Research

Among all the sectors, the hospitality and tourism sector has been detrimentally affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aimed to determine how changes have been experienced specifically in the Turkish tourism higher education and tourism sector. Twenty-seven academics from the hospitality and tourism education departments were interviewed. Most agreed that restrictions have limited student access to hands-on practical courses and internships, which are crucial to developing necessary competencies. Moreover, the results showed the curriculum does not always meet the needs of the hospitality industry for a trained and skilled workforce. The challenge is to decide what …

Investigating The Management Of Covid-19 Pandemic Risks In Primary Schools: A Case Of Public Primary Schools In Lindi Region, Southern Tanzania, Emmanuel Mtura, Winston Edward Massam, Mary Oluga, Jane Rarieya, Nyagwegwe Wwango

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

The spread of COVID-19 in the year 2020 put various nations at risk, especially in social, economic, and educational aspects. School closure was employed as one of the response measures against the spread of this virus. However, the measure imposed high social and educational risks with consequences of a massive drop academically. This study investigated the management of the COVID-19 pandemic risks in primary schools in the Lindi region in Tanzania intending to suggest the essence of having a risk management plan for indeterminate outbreaks and other uncertainties to avoid the recurrence of the risks. The study adopted a qualitative …

A Phenomenological Study Of Complexity Leadership Interactions Of An International Protestant Convention During Covid-19, Thomas S. Narofsky

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study aimed to explore the in-depth perceptions and insightful reflections of 12 International Protestant Convention leadership team members to explore and investigate their lived experiences and leadership decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of Complexity Leadership Theory. The 2020-2023 COVID-19 pandemic changed the world when the emergent fast-paced virus disrupted and overwhelmed societal life, creating pre- and post-COVID bifurcation points that will shape world dynamics and social interactions for years (Warren, 2022; Christianson & Barton, 2021; Harari, 2020; Pierce, 2020). For this research, complexity leadership interactions, social network dynamics, and information flow were studied to discover …

“It’S Been A Long And Terrible Day”: Doctoral Students’ Experience Of Stress And Coping, Orianna D. Carvalho, Yarisbel Melo Herrera, Jiangping Cai, Mardoche W. Telusma, Qingyu Yang, Brenda Santos, Jacquelyn Potvin, Bobby Gondola, Elizabeth-Ann Rando Viscione, Jodi Sutherland Charvis, Joise Garzon, Hayley Lindsey, Aradhana Aradhana, Annemarie Vaccaro Dr.

Journal of Graduate Education Research

Research has shown that graduate students experience a host of stressors as they navigate higher education. This study was a participant-generated visual method (PGVM) project with 14 doctoral students from one research university in the northeastern United States. The purpose of this study was to illuminate doctoral students’ experiences as the world was progressing toward a post-pandemic reality. Data sources included visual image solicitation, a focus group interview, and individual memoing over one semester. Several themes emerged, including stressors related to working while in graduate school, finances, and social challenges. This study offers insights to graduate programs seeking to reduce …

“Roadblocks And Passageways”: Pandemic Lessons For Helping Graduate Students Survive And Thrive In Times Of Crisis, Eunsong Park, Corey S. Shdaimah, Nikita Aggarwal, Amy Garzón-Hampton

Journal of Graduate Education Research

Graduate students and universities continue to be challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study explored how U.S. graduate students (n=19) experienced and navigated pandemic challenges to their education using by Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital, and field. Respondents’ abilities to manage changes caused by the pandemic were largely dependent on the capital they or their informal networks had and the field where they positioned during pre-pandemic and pandemic. Institutions’ characteristics and supports greatly influenced students’ habitus and sense of belonging. Study respondents’ ability to maintain their educational trajectories was tied to both their assessment of their institution as …

Returning To School After A Pandemic: K-12 School Mental Health Practitioners’ Perspectives Returning To School In Regard To Mindset, Behavior, Performance, And Social Connections, Viridiana Benitez Esparza

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine K-12 school mental health practitioners’ perceptions of their experiences working with students following the 2-year educational/social/emotional trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to the mental health practitioners’ mindset, behavior, performance, and social connections. Methodology: The researcher conducted a phenomenological study examining particular experiences of participants to understand their perspective during a phenomenon (McMillan & Schumacher, 2006). This qualitative study interviewed 12 school mental health practitioners who served in K-12 public schools after the pandemic in Los Angeles County, California. Semi-structured interview questions were used for data collection and aligned …

A Phenomenological Multi-Case Study Of Perceptions Of Older Adults’ Loneliness During Covid-19 Within Selected Online Churches, Bethney Wright Sikes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological multi-case study was to understand the perceptions of older adults regarding their feelings of loneliness related to the lockdown during COVID-19 and to discover if online church platforms for the older adult Christian population at Crosspoint Church in Niceville, Florida, Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas, and Community Life Church in Gulf Breeze, Florida, minimized those feelings of loneliness which may have caused mental, physical, and emotional concerns. Isolation from the church body was generally defined as nonattendance via traditional means or online platforms. The theory guiding this study was Lev Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. …

Free For All: Proposing Legislation To Eliminate Food Insecurity In Arkansas Public Schools, A. Mills Bryant

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Schools serve millions of students daily as one of the largest food distribution sites in the United States. However, more than 13.1 million children in the United States, and almost 150,000 in Arkansas, are food insecure. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most Arkansas schools offered free and reduced lunch to students at or below the poverty line through participation in the National School Lunch Program (“NSLP”). During COVID-19, Congress passed The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) and The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES”) (hereinafter “The Acts”). This legislation effectively eliminated food insecurity in participating American public schools, …

The Unprecedented Stressors Of Early Childhood Educators During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Post-Pandemic Restoration: A Case Study, Ida Mae Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to describe the unprecedented stressors of early childhood educators (ECE) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic restoration at two early childhood education centers (ECEC) in a midwestern state. The central research question was: How did the COVID-19 pandemic’s unprecedented stressors impact ECE in the post-pandemic era? Data collection included structured interviews with open-ended questions, focus groups, and documents. The three data sources were triangulated for themes, perspectives, and interpretations, and coding was used to help gain a deep understanding of the stressors experienced by early childhood educators. The conceptual framework guiding this …

Fitting A Covid-19 Model Incorporating Senses Of Safety And Caution To Local Data From Spartanburg County, South Carolina, D. Chloe Griffin, Amanda Mangum

CODEE Journal

Common mechanistic models include Susceptible-Infected-Removed (SIR) and Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Removed (SEIR) models. These models in their basic forms have generally failed to capture the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic's multiple waves and do not take into account public policies such as social distancing, mask mandates, and the ``Stay-at-Home'' orders implemented in early 2020. While the Susceptible-Vaccinated-Infected-Recovered-Deceased (SVIRD) model only adds two more compartments to the SIR model, the inclusion of time-dependent parameters allows for the model to better capture the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic when surveillance testing was common practice for a large portion of the population. We find …

A Case Study Of Technology Integration At A Community College During A Disruption Of Learning Due To A Global Pandemic, Cara Suzanne Barth-Fagan

Dissertations

This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the financial stress, digital divide, and inequalities in educational opportunities that arose during this period. However, it also acknowledges the advantages of remote learning, such as flexible scheduling, individualized learning, and global collaboration. The study design used was qualitative, aiming to identify the perceived levels of student engagement and support between faculty and students, and the perceived levels of success of completing a blended learning course in an online, hybrid, or hyflex format during a global pandemic. The paper concludes by emphasizing the importance …

Navigating New Normals: Student Perceptions, Experiences, And Mental Health Service Utilization In Post-Pandemic Academia, Hadiza Galadima, Anne Dumadag, Cara Tonn

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

This study explores the profound impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education, focusing on shifts in learning experiences and students’ intentions to utilize mental health services post-pandemic. Utilizing Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, this study assesses perceptions from a stratified random sample of college students on post-pandemic learning experiences and mental health service utilization intentions. Findings reveal a positive reception to university initiatives and a preference for ongoing virtual classes. There is an evident increase in, and varying intentions for, using mental health services, shaped by demographics, employment, and prior service utilization. Younger and female students showed …

The Importance Of Endrew: Analyzing The Influence Of A New Legal Precedent In Pennsylvania Due Process Hearing Officer Decisions Before And After Covid-19 Closures, David H. Rush

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

In 2017, a new standard for determining substantive violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was established with the ruling for Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. Recently, the United States Department of Education and State Education Agencies have cited the Endrew decision as being important in defining what constitutes a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) under the IDEA, in light of mandated school closures due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Despite its noted importance, there has been limited analysis into how this new legal precedent has influenced special education due process hearing officer decisions. …

Towards A Pedagogy Of Human Connection : Understanding Teachers’ Experiences Of Connection During A Pandemic, Michael Diamond

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools shuttered quickly and re-opened slowly. These decisions impacted the well-being of teachers and students. Upon re-opening, schools in New Jersey adopted a range of instructional approaches—including virtual and hybrid models—that prioritized safety and diminished human connections. This came at a time when rates of isolation and loneliness were increasing and the US was already experiencing a crisis of connection. To understand teachers’ experiences with human connection during the winter and second spring of the COVID-19 pandemic, this dissertation study recruited nine high school teachers from one school in New Jersey who …

"Shut Down And Closed Off": A Routine Activity Approach To Investigating The Relationship Between Covid-19 School Closures And Child Sexual Abuse Report Characteristics In Georgia, Spencer E. Riner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 created a public health crisis that led to an unprecedented number of school closures. A major concern raised by child advocates, law enforcement, and social service providers was the possible increase in undetected child abuse and maltreatment. Undergirding this concern was the belief that this mitigation effort might place child abuse victims and offenders within proximity for extended periods of time. While this was a significant concern, it has rarely been analyzed empirically. To address this gap in the literature, this thesis investigates how school closures impacted the characteristics of child sexual abuse (CSA) reports …

The Effect Of Reading Fluency After Coronavirus-19 Lockdown, Lauren Balogh

Student Research Poster Presentations 2024

This poster's research discusses the impact of the Coronavirus-19 lockdown on students' reading fluency and the effectiveness of the hybrid method. It also explores the struggles students face in meeting benchmark scores after the lockdown.

Juridical Analysis Of Termination Of Employment Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic In The Context Of Indonesian Employment Law And Citizenship Education, Itok Dwi Kurniawan, Ismawati Septiningsih, Jose Gama Santos

Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan

The Indonesian government has declared Covid-19 a pandemic, leading to restrictions such as working from home and room capacity limits. These restrictions have resulted in numerous layoffs, and the pandemic has been deemed a national disaster, with laws and regulations like Presidential Decree No. 12 of 2020 strengthening the reasons for entrepreneurs to consider it a force majeure event. The economic sector's decline has direct implications for employees, both in formal and informal sectors, due to decreased production, depletion of industrial raw materials, weakening of the Rupiah against the Dollar, decline in Indonesian tourism, and the fall of the composite …

Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Marketing Of Education, Shreekant Joag

Journal of Global Awareness

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many schools to partially or totally switch to remote communication methods for delivering education in the years 2020-2021. It is believed that forced compliance with unfamiliar and even unpreferred modes of behavior can have a profound and lasting impact on people’s attitudes and opinions toward the behavior itself because of first-hand exposure and experience. It is, therefore, possible that this experience with remote teaching and learning could have materially changed both instructors’ as well as students’ attitudes toward remote delivery of education. Such changed attitudes may predict their future choices and behavior.

This paper will present …

The Transformation Of Rural Elementary Classroom English Language Teachers During Distance Learning: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Cecilia Frazier Salzer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the transformation of rural elementary classroom teachers who transitioned to distance learning with English learners (ELs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the California Central Valley. The theory guiding this study is Mezirow’s transformative learning theory. At the same time the conceptual framework is Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge (TPACK), as both will ascribe meaning to how EL teachers transformed their perspectives, assumptions, feelings, and judgments while conducting distance learning. The research question guiding this study is: What transformation did teachers experience while providing distance learning instruction to rural elementary English …

Exploring The Impact Of Cultural Event Attendance On Undergraduate Students' Perceived Sense Of Community At A Dual-Mission University, Post Covid: A Predictive Correlational Study, Jared Stephenson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlational study was to determine how accurately a sense of community (the criterion variable) can be predicted from cultural event attendance (predictor variable) for undergraduate students at a dual-mission university, post-COVID. This study is grounded in the Sense of Community Theory and is significant to students and other higher education stakeholders in determining where to focus efforts regarding student involvement that promotes a sense of community. This research utilized the Sense of Community Index-2 to gather data through a convenience sampling method, recruiting 84 participants from a large dual-mission university in the western United …

Academic Outcomes Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Awareness And Action, Tanner B. Howe

Culminating Experience Projects

Research has shown that the online learning implemented during the COVID-19-related school closures had impacts on academic outcomes among secondary students. As schools operate in proximity to this event, it is crucial to investigate and understand those academic outcomes. Research suggests that mathematics and reading/language courses displayed negative academic outcomes for the period of online learning. Through this investigation, stress was observed to have played a major role during this period for secondary students and may have also contributed to the academic outcomes observed. This project seeks to raise awareness of possible student educational needs by shining light on the …

The Experiences Of Students During Covid-19 School Disruptions, Brandi Bullock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of educators with respect to student experiences between March 2020 and February 2021 related to academics, social-emotional health, and safety and security. Data collection strategies included one-on-one interviews with 12 educators in one East Tennessee school district. To qualify for the study, participants had to have taught during COVID-19 schooling disruptions and have taught either 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade in the 2022-23 school year. Data analysis was based on Systems Theory (Laszlo & Krippner, 1998) and Change Theory (Fullan, 2020). The results revealed 5 key themes that …

Reflections Of Elementary Principals Leading Through Disruption And Crisis: An Exploration Of Pandemic Leadership, Nicole Renee Peterson

Dissertations

COVID-19 had a tremendous impact on schools across the globe. Educational leaders had to respond to executive orders quickly. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines focused on mandates regarding students’ and staff’s educational, health, and social-emotional needs. This study explored and described the experience and reflections of elementary principals and their staff members during this disruptive time in history.

This qualitative multiple case study involved the interviews of five elementary principals and staff focus groups from each of their buildings. The overarching research questions were: (a) How do principals describe, metacognitively process, and make meaning of their response …

A Snapshot In Time: Consumer Behavior At The Start Of Covid-19, Michelle L. Childs, Christopher Sneed, Ann A. Berry, Sejin Ha

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

During the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers faced challenges related to obtaining household items due to shortages and limitations in shopping. Researchers from the University of Tennessee conducted a national, web-based consumer survey of 300 consumers in late April 2020 to better understand consumer behavior, shopping patterns, and demand shifts for goods and services. Major findings demonstrate that consumers have increased shopping for essential products from brick-and-mortar national chains, avoided brick-and-mortar small businesses, and have chosen to shop more by themselves, often choosing to forgo spending from across all product categories, compared to prior to the pandemic. Additionally, …

Digital Vs. Traditional: Comparing Sales Students' Initial Post- College Career Search Preferences Before And After Covid-19, Linda Mullen, Randy Stuart, Michael L. Thomas

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the

career search strategies of college students studying professional

sales. The research consists of a post-pandemic study that is

compared to a previous study conducted pre-pandemic in 2019. The

paper investigates the preference of sales students for digital

media versus face-to-face interactions in their career searches.

The pre-pandemic study revealed that while sales students

engaged with digital media, they still heavily relied on traditional

methods. The post-pandemic results differed primarily in students’

interviewing preferences. Despite the challenges posed by the

pandemic, students continue to utilize both online and traditional

resources. …