Education Commons^™

Adjunct Faculty Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Analysis, James Bernard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experiences of adjunct faculty. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unparalleled disruption around the globe. Challenges that were faced in higher education included health and safety protocols, social distancing, emergency remote teaching, and closing campuses while trying to maintain quality of the education and perceived value for the student.

Adjunct faculty play a significant role in higher education, teaching and supporting academic programs. Given the reliance on the use of adjunct faculty and recognizing the link between job satisfaction and performance, the experiences of adjunct …

Online Teaching And Learning At Chinese Universities During Covid-19: Insiders’ Perspectives, Youliang Zhang, Yidan Zhu, Tongjie Chen, Tongfei Ma

Journal of Global Education and Research

During attempts to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic in China, higher education programs shifted their traditional educational models to online models. This paper aimed to explore how Chinese universities organized online teaching and learning during the pandemic. It investigated the factors affecting the implementation of online teaching and provided policy recommendations for improving the quality of education in the post-pandemic period. The primary data for this study came from in-depth interviews with nine students and five teaching and administrative staff at eight major universities in mainland China. Literature was obtained in both English and Chinese from January 2020 to …

Exploring Work Satisfaction Of Women In Educational Leadership From A Racial Perspective During Times Of Crisis, Kathryn Washington, Sharon Ross, Janice L. Taylor, Kelly Brown

Tapestry: Journal of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Education

In education, critical shifts and pandemic repercussions have heightened pressures. Women leaders, particularly those of color, grapple with gender and racial inequalities that shape their roles (Sanchez-Hucles & Davis, 2010). This study explores women's leadership experiences, focusing on work satisfaction through a racial lens. Utilizing Resilience Theory, it delves into women's perceptions, employing a quantitative approach through an electronic survey at a women educators' conference. Examining racial categories, the research uncovers correlations between work satisfaction, job fit, commitment, and work-family balance. ANOVA results show no significant job satisfaction differences based on race, while Welch t-test identifies varied responses. Findings illuminate …

The Experiences Of Southeastern Massachusetts K-12 Teachers And Factors That Influenced Retention During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Cheryl Hebert, Dawn H. Mackiewicz, Tiffany Jadotte, Kristin L. Wakefield

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This narrative study described factors that positively influenced teacher retention during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Herzberg’s 2-factor theory provides the framework for understanding how teachers’ work conditions and professional relationships motivated them to remain in their roles. This study was designed to capture the voice of educators and the best practices were used to motivate them throughout the pandemic and the return to the classroom. Ten K-12 public school teachers employed within five schools in southeastern Massachusetts participated in this qualitative study. The following findings from the study include: (a) Poor student engagement negatively affected teachers’ work satisfaction during …

Information Literacy Instruction Services At Rural Community Colleges, Fall 2019 Through Ay 2021/22, Heather Posey Vandyne

Forsyth Library Faculty Publications

This exploratory study examines the instructional practices of two-year institutions located in rural areas during the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and the two academic years that follow. Since the virus commonly known as COVID-19 first made its way to the United States in March 2020, three classes of community college students have had an introduction to higher education unlike any other in living memory. The mixed method approach consists of a survey aimed towards rural college librarians and subsequent in-depth interviews. This study identifies attempts to retain connections with faculty and students, as well as adjustments in …

A Comparative Analysis Of Hiv/Aids In France And The United States: Historical Context And Preventative Actions, Rebecca A. Liebsack

Honors Theses

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is the result of transmission of a zoonotic disease known as simian immunodeficiency virus. The pandemic has had profound social and economic consequences and continues to be present today. France and the United States’ response to the discovery of HIV will be compared and the impact that HIV/AIDS had on their countries and future responses. They had rather similar responses, however, the United States had a slower initial response compared to France. Both had similar takeaways such as aiming at improving prevention and utilizing tactics developed during the start of the pandemic like frequent testing and vaccines.

The Good, The Bad, And The In Between: The Effects Of Covid-19 And Remote Learning, Samantha Anastasio

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This Capstone Project delves into the perspectives of Bay High School teachers regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and remote learning on students' education. Through a thorough analysis of interviews and relevant research, the study aims to address and mitigate the learning setbacks experienced by students during this challenging period. With a focus on the two-year learning gap caused by remote learning and school closures, the researchers highlight the significance of understanding teachers' firsthand experiences and insights. They argue that the implementation of effective tutoring programs emerges as the most promising approach to bridge the education gap and support …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Student Motivation In Secondary Instrumental Music, Martha Jane Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to provide strategies to improve student motivation in band and orchestra programs in Elkhart Community Schools. The problem for band and orchestra teachers was declining enrollment and student participation in outside music activities such as audition opportunities since the COVID-19 pandemic. The rationale for this study was to examine student motivation and provide educators with immediately applicable strategies to improve student participation in instrumental music programs. Educators must understand why students continued to struggle with returning to normalcy by seeking strategies as to how to reach and help these students. Early research following the …

Returning To School After A Pandemic And The Lived Experiences Of Rural High School Mathematics Teachers On Student Success, Joshua Saúl Silva

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological methodology investigation was to examine and describe rural mathematics teachers’ lived experiences on the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic on freshman students returning to school after being online for 2 years through the lens of Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and serves as part of a thematic dissertation with each researcher focusing on different educators in the K-12 school system.

Methodology: Through qualitative methodology utilizing one-on-one interviews of nine rural high school freshman mathematics teachers with 5 or more years of experience before, during, and after the COVID-19 global pandemic, data was analyzed …

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 …

A Rural Return: The Triumphs And Trials Of A School District's Return To In-Person Learning, Jason Alex Wheeler

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

On March 13, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam ordered all public schools in Virginia to close for two weeks due to the on-going global health crisis; this closure was later extended to include the remainder of the academic year. This created a new political, academic, and social landscape for public schools across the commonwealth to navigate. In addition, to the external political landscape schools face, all public schools are saturated with micropolitical implications. Micropolitics, or the political interactions of values, power, organizational structures, and strategies among internal stakeholders, of which the COVID-19 Pandemic exacerbated, is concerned with the internal politics that …

Using Online Support Group To Cope During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review, Naishuo Sun, Xinle Jia

SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affects mental health due to prolonged quarantine. Online support groups offer vital social and informational support during crises. This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review of current literature about online support group during pandemic, and to examine the research gap, promote engagement with (in)accurate health information, and to explore additional benefits of the online support group. We searched with the keyword in three databases from 2020 to 2023, resulting in 15 number of articles. The information extracted from the 15 studies includes county, target group, platform, purpose of the group, study design, measure, and …

Moving Forward In The Wake Of The Pandemic: Shifting From Schools Acting Alone To Engaged Partnerships With Families And Communities, Sheri S. Williams

The William & Mary Educational Review

Workplace shortages are a top concern for schools in times of calm and even more troubling in times of stress. Burnout is especially widespread in stressful situations of disrupted learning, trauma, and discord (e.g., Diliberti & Schwartz, 2022; Thomas et al., 2019). In the wake of the pandemic, educators struggled to deal with the stressors on their own (IES, 2022). It became clear that schools could no longer work in isolation. Moving forward in the wake of the pandemic required an intentional shift in purpose from isolated classrooms to interconnected partnerships with families and communities. In the path to recovery, …

Embedded Support In The College Writing Classroom: A Teaching Reflection On Late Pandemic Pedagogy For Trio Students In An Intensive Transitional Summer Course, James P. Austin, John Gavin Iv

Pedagogy and the Human Sciences

In this teaching reflection, the authors discuss their experiences as professor and embedded support for an intensive summer college writing course for incoming undergraduates participating in a TRIO program. The reflection considers the contextual factors making this cohort of students vulnerable, including the relationship between family income level and pandemic-era learning loss. The authors devised a pedagogy to "flip" the classroom, allowing students to write deeply during long class sessions, and delivered intensive, layered support at the point of writing to accelerate progress through challenges in writing development.

Leadership Reflections Of The Pandemic: Perceptions From Aspiring Assistant Principals, Terrance Mcneil, Trinetia Respress, Soala Dede, Jenna Lehman

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

The initial COVID-19 outbreak within the United States necessitated the implementation of rapid safety measures, prompting educational leadership to establish unprecedented protocols. In the spring of 2020, schools throughout Tennessee closed for in-person learning before re-opening with new protocols in the fall. The purpose of this study was to gain insight from Tennessee educators about the challenges they faced because of these educational protocols enacted by leadership. The study employed a phenomenological qualitative design. The study sample was comprised of ten educators enrolled in the Tennessee Department of Education's Aspiring Assistant Principal Network. The data were collected using open-ended interview …

Case Study: Improving Student Advisory Board Engagement, Anita R. Hall

Faculty Scholarship

After two pandemic-impacted academic years, the University of Louisville’s Libraries Student Advisory Board (LSAB) was starting to feel stagnant. Meetings that had previously included hands-on activities, lively conversation, and free food had settled into the virtual meeting doldrums. Attendance was down and conversation felt stilted, despite the librarian facilitator devoting additional time and effort to preparing for each meeting. In an effort to improve engagement among the group and better understand the continued relevance of advisory groups in the current moment, the author undertook a series of interviews with other advisory group facilitators. Results from these interviews were used to …

Foreign Expert: A Memoir Manuscript, Jenny L. Rowe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This is a full memoir manuscript that I wrote for my MFA thesis, which is tentatively titled Foreign Expert. In this manuscript, we follow myself as narrator as I struggle to adapt to life in Beijing (prior to the pandemic) while also recovering from a recent divorce. The man I’d been married to for five years back in Iowa had become violently mentally ill, and though I’d been fortunate enough to remove myself from him, I quickly learned that being a foreign expert in China—my residential visa title—required more work than basic survival. By the end of my two years …

Understanding The Experience Of Mothers In Higher Education During The Covid-19 Era, Shannan L. Engel

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This exploratory study aimed to understand the experience of mothers in higher education both during the COVID-19 pandemic and toward the end of restrictions. The population included academic mothers with children at home during the pandemic. Data was analyzed thematically by a team of researchers. The results generated six themes: (a) life changed suddenly, (b) remote work, school, and life, (c) unsupported, (d) sense of control, (e) support, and (f) positive aspects of COVID. These findings are important to the field of mental health counseling profession, supervision, and higher education because of the circumstances exemplified by the pandemic that highlight …

Examining The Relationship Between School Academic Optimism, Enabling School Structures, And Student Achievement In New Jersey Public Schools During The Post-Pandemic Period, Mark Schwarz

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study investigated the relationships between student achievement and the school characteristics of academic optimism and enabling structures. Perceptual data were collected from a sample of 496 faculty members across 67 schools in 25 districts in northern NJ. These data were then merged with demographic and student achievement data from the New Jersey Department of Education for analysis through descriptive and inferential statistics. The study was modeled after prior studies outside of New Jersey and before the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The study found that enabling structures were well correlated with school academic optimism and that optimism, in turn, …

Covid, Church, & Cuts: A Single Narrative Case Study Of Pandemic Impacts On A Bi-Vocational Pastor & Barber, A. D. Hooker, Camille S. Talbert

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

This narrative case study provides an in-depth look into the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic from the perspective of an assistant pastor with a small African American church in an urban city. His story indicates that the pandemic had both positive and negative effects on the pastor’s ability to carry out his role of pastoral care and ministry. Some positives were the results of new technological adaptations that helped to improve members’ consistency in attending and participating in weekly services. Some negative effects imposed by COVID-19 was the revelation of imbalanced relationships and a lack of trust in God. The …

The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Students In The School Setting: The Adaptations Needed For Tiered Supports, Eleni M. Gajewski

Dissertations

This study aims to evaluate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on students in the school setting and identify necessary adaptations needed, particularly through a tiered system of support. The research aims for two primary objectives by employing a constructivist framework utilizing mixed methods for data collection. Firstly, it aims to provide districts with a foundation for understanding the social-emotional and academic consequences of the pandemic on students. Secondly, its purpose is to empower districts to leverage this comprehensive evaluation as a proactive approach to cater to the diverse needs of all students. This includes responding to the challenges posed …

Teacher Certification During Multiple Pandemics In The Epicenter Of It All, Deborah Greenblatt 4509457

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Teacher certification exams were put on hold as New York City became the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis in March of 2020. State officials closed testing centers and school buildings, and teacher candidates began to panic as administrators at their student teaching placements worked feverishly to adjust. This changed teacher candidates’ ability to complete the performance assessment required for certification (edTPA). Concurrently, COVID-19 was disproportionally affecting the Black community (Phillips et al., 2020) and areas with limited financial resources. Based on the demographics of students at The City University of New York, there were extensive health challenges for many of …

Restorative Practices Interrupted, Celeste Kellar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The initial critical event precipitating the problem of practice at my school was the repercussions of the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. This shooting and the resulting legislative mandates of Florida Senate Bill 7026, led to my administrative decision to adopt Restorative Practices at my school, a school for students with disabilities. Restorative Practices purport to encourage the development of positive relationships, repair and restore existing relationships thereby decreasing the chance of a repeated offense and improving school climate (Zehr, 2015). Additional rationale for the adoption was to address the disproportionality …

Student And Faculty Perceptions Of The Impact Of Masks On Student Learning And Communication In The Classroom, Beau Shine, Kelly L. Brown, Christopher Felts, Trinnity Mitchell

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, facemask requirements while indoors were implemented in colleges and universities, both in the United States and beyond. Empirical evidence has shown that such mandates improved the health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and administrators. However, the impacts of such precautions on student learning and communication have to date gone largely unexplored. The current study surveyed students and faculty at one regional midwestern institution to assess their perceptions on the impact of masks on student learning and communication in the classroom. Findings are included, followed by a discussion of their implications.

Teacher Anxiety And Resilience As Socio-Ecological Experience: A Critical Ethnography Of Early-Career English As An Additional Language Teachers In Post-Pandemic Ontario, Canada, Aide Chen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This critical ethnographic study investigated the anxiety and resilience experiences of English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers in Ontario, Canada during their early careers after the pandemic. The study drew on literature regarding the TESOL profession’s precarious nature, resilience and anxiety concepts, pandemic impacts on language education, and debates on native-speakerism. It employed four-level theoretical frameworks, including the theories of critical praxis (Freire, 1970), reflexivity (Byrd Clark, 2020), ecological systems (Bronfenbrenner,1979), and the community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) for its design and implementation. Four pre-service and three in-service English language teachers participated, providing weekly reflective journals for …

Prevalence Of Depression, Anxiety And Stress After The Covid-19 Pandemic Period Among Students At The Medical University Of Sofia; Significance Of Demographic, Educational, And Pandemic-Related Variables, Nadya Avramova

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate dental students at Sofia Medical University and to investigate its associations with some demographic, educational and pandemic-related variables. A self-reported questionnaire that included the validated DASS-21 scale was administered to a group of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th year students (n=70, response rate 95.7%). Results indicated abnormal levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in 34.3%, 65.7% and 59.7% of the participants, respectively. A much larger proportion of females suffered from abnormal levels of anxiety (56.6%) as compared with males (9%), p=.003. Single students exhibited significantly …

Physical Activity And Mental Health Of Youth During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amber Watson, Alicia Fedewa, Clair Tischner

International Journal of Physical Activity and Health

The COVID-19 Pandemic has globally impacted children’s physical activity and mental health outcomes since the transition to remote learning (Štveráková, et al., 2021). Children and adults may encounter negative mental health related consequences, higher stress, and a significant lack of physical activity while in physical and social isolation (Clemente-Suárez, 2022). In particular, school-aged children have experienced a significant reduction in physical activity since transitioning to remote learning and do not have sufficient opportunities to make up for this loss while engaged in remote learning (Štveráková, et al., 2021). Increased physical activity has been consistently correlated with positive mental health outcomes …

Keeping The Light On: Academic Librarians & Burnout (Conference Presentation), Jason D. Phillips, Laura Pitts, Jessica Riedmueller, Joanna Warren

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

There is substantial research about sources of burnout among academic librarians; however, very little addresses the impact of the local environment. Responding to regional and institutional shifts while still trying to uphold the values of librarianship such as providing confidential and free access to information can quickly lead to mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion, classic symptoms of burnout. A panel discussion was hosted at the Arkansas Library Association (ArLA) / Southeast Library Association (SELA) Joint Conference, on Saturday, October 14, 2023. Academic librarians from different Southern states discussed their local environments, their libraries’ responses to recent events, and their strategies …

A Policy Monitoring Framework To Prepare For, Respond To, And Recover From Education In Emergencies, Pina Tarricone, Kemran Mestan, Ian Teo

International Education Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how widespread emergencies can disrupt national education systems and schooling. To assist policy decision-making and monitoring, a rapid review of over 200 documents relating to education in emergencies (EiE) was conducted, with a specific focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the review is to support policymakers, largely in developing countries, to develop policies that promote education system resiliency with a focus on monitoring those policies. From the analysis and synthesis of evidence a new framework has been produced, which assists policymakers by organising the complexity of relevant concerns. This Policy Monitoring Framework (PMF) …