Education Commons^™

Professionals, Not Laborers: Historical Contingencies Impacting Faculty Prestige And Unionization, Camden M. Webb

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Some higher education faculty believe that unionization is beneath their status, despite lacking ownership of the means of production. While higher education experienced increasing importance in the United States during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, faculty unionization saw periods of both growth and decline. From a macro-level framework in social structures of accumulation (SSA) theory, with additions from Marx, the Ehrenreichs, Bourdieu, and Simmel, my research develops a theory to explain the impact of changing social structures on status reproduction and faculty unionization. SSA theory explores the historical contingencies that impact relationships between institutions and capital accumulation. Marx’s class relationships, …

Trade Books’ Contextualization Of Consequential Women’S Historical Significance, Toluwalase Solomon

2021 Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creative Activity - Documents

No abstract provided.

Tagtmeier, Daniel - Covid-19 Journal, Daniel Tagtmeier

Personal Journals

EIU student, Daniel Tagtmeier writes about the effect of the pandemic on his learning and homelife, particularly his relationship with his grandmother and the inability to see her in the early stages of the pandemic.

Stutzman, Kelsi - Covid-19 Journal, Kelsi Stutzman

Personal Journals

Personal journal of Kelsi Stutzman, a student in Dr. Laughlin-Schultz's HIS3810 History of Illinois course during Fall, 2020

Osborne, Ethan - Covid-19 Journal, Ethan Osborne

Personal Journals

EIU student Ethan Osborne recounts in detail the experience and frustration of living at home and working on his family farm in the early months of the pandemic, March-May 2020. He also details his observations of and feelings about the news coverage of the pandemic as well as the disregard (particularly by young people) for shelter in place mandates.

Mchale, Marguerite - Covid-19 Journal, Marguerite Mchale

Personal Journals

Marguerite McHale, and EIU student in Professor Mark Dries' HIS 1595 class maintains an upbeat journal documenting the challenges of the pandemic. Of particular note, she describes the growing divide between those supportive of the social distancing and masking initiatives, as well as the impact on high school students who she maintains friendships with as one who graduated a year early from high school. She includes a number of pieces of high school student commentary as well as memes related to the pandemic, and links to news stories. She also describes her home life, and finding ways to keep busy …

Spencer, Julia - Covid-19 Journal, Julia Spencer

Personal Journals

EIU student Julia Spencer describes the challenges adjusting to the new normal of the pandemic as it sets in. In particular she writes about struggles staying motivated to keep up with her studies, and the oddity of having classes on zoom. Her experience is compounded by health scares involving her mother and a friend.

Instructor And Librarian Collaboration On A Course Without A Textbook, Stacey Knight-Davis, Lauri Deruiter-Willems

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

We describe collaboration between a health promotion professor and librarian to design a course in the learning management system D2L that does not use a textbook. Instead of a textbook, materials from professional and governmental organizations, supplemented with library materials are used. This approach encourages critical thinking to integrate information from multiple sources. Students also become familiar with information sources they will use after graduation

Development Of Well-Being In Children Raised By Grandparents, Shamah Md-Yunus

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

This article discusses the development of well-being in children raised by grandparents in the U.S. First, it briefly describes the grandparents’ variables. Second, it explains the development of children’s well-being from the aspects of psychological, emotional, behavior, academic performance, and physical health. The paper concludes with some suggestions to the grandparents on how to help grandchildren achieve better development in their well-being.

African American Students’ Attitudes And Beliefs About Ethnic And Racial Diversity At A Predominantly White Public University In The Mid-West, James Ochwa-Echel, Krishna Thomas

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Following an incident which involved gunshots and fighting at a private party in a Mid-Western city, where a predominantly white public university is located, several discussions were held at various fora on campus on the issue of race. During the discussions, many African American students complained that they were not being treated fairly at the university. The purpose of this study was to assess the cultural attitudes and climate at the Mid-Western University (abbreviated in this paper as MWU). The research question examined is: What are the attitudes and beliefs of African American students about racial and ethnic diversity at …

Exploding Rhetorics Of 9/11: An Approach For Studying The Role That Affect & Emotion Play In Constructing Historical Events, Melissa Ames

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Integrating Creative, Critical, And Historical Thinking Through Close Reading, Document- Based Writing, And Original Political Cartooning, John Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Historical thinking, an unnatural and developed skill,1 is foundational for both civicinvolvement and social studies education.2 To facilitate students’ historical thinking, teachers candraw from a myriad of discipline-specific close reading strategies.3 History literacy stratagems canbe adjusted for learners both young4 and old5; teachers can target a specific heuristic6 or address adistinct barrier to understanding.7 Whether termed content area literacy strategies, close readings,processes, and simply methods,8 state and national education require students to scrutinizecomplex, diverse, and, at times, competing texts.9 The education initiatives assess students—inboth history/social studies and English/language arts non-fiction curricula—on their ability toextract, employ, and cite newly generated understandings …

Neoliberalism And University Education In Sub-Saharan Africa, James Ochwa-Echel

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

This article reviews the history of university development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and discusses the impact of neoliberal policies. This will be followed by an examination of the problems facing universities in the region. The following questions will be explored: (a) Are the existing universities in SSA serving the development needs of the region? (b) Are these universities up to the task of moving SSA out of the predicaments it faces such as famine, HIV/AIDS, poverty, diseases, debt, and human rights abuses? Finally, the article argues that for universities to play a role in the development of the region, a …

Neoliberalism And University Education In Sub-Saharan Africa, James R. Ochwa-Echel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

This article reviews the history of university development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and discusses the impact of neoliberal policies. This will be followed by an examination of the problems facing universities in the region. The following questions will be explored: (a) Are the existing universities in SSA serving the development needs of the region? (b) Are these universities up to the task of moving SSA out of the predicaments it faces such as famine, HIV/AIDS, poverty, diseases, debt, and human rights abuses? Finally, the article argues that for universities to play a role in the development of the region, a …

Exploring Different Factors Of Language Development, Elizabeth Scribner

2013 Awards for Excellence in Student Research & Creative Activity - Documents

The purpose of this paper is to explore the different factors that affect language development and examine successful intervention strategies. It includes descriptions of home exposure and involvement, bilingualism and culture awareness, as well as the importance of early intervention. Teaching opportunities and coaching features are also explored. Language is a feature every individual should have the opportunity to explore, and can be done in a variety of different ways. The term 'language' does not necessarily refer to English; it can be applied to most languages and language users. Language is needed for both, receptive and expressive functioning. Receptive includes …

Reliability And Validity Of The Academic Maturity Scale, Erin L. Mcelroy

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Academic maturity is defined as the extent to which college students maximize their academic potentials. Addison, Althoff, and Pezold (2009) designed the 100-item Academic Maturity Scale (AMS) to measure this construct. Through factor analyses, the AMS was reduced to 30 items and four factors: motivation, responsibility, focus, and time management. The current study examined the reliability and validity of the 30-item AMS. Data from 425 participants supported the internal consistency of the AMS subscales, and results from 88 participants who completed the AMS, the Academic Motivation Scale (Vallerand et al., 1992), and the Time Management Questionnaire (TMQ; Britton & Tesser, …

Exploring The Gender Gap In Computer Science Education In Uganda, James R. Ochwa-Echel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The purpose of this study is two-fold: to investigate the nature of the gender gap in computer science education in Uganda and to understand the factors that influence gender differences in computer science education in Uganda. The findings of the study indicate that there is a gender gap in computer science education. The reasons for the gap were revealed in the interviews, surveys and focus group discussions. The study concluded that several policy measures need to be taken to address the gender gap in computer science education in Uganda.

Exploring The Gender Gap In Computer Science Education In Uganda, James Ochwa-Echel

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The purpose of this study is two-fold: to investigate the nature of the gender gap in computer science education in Uganda and to understand the factors that influence gender differences in computer science education in Uganda. The findings of the study indicate that there is a gender gap in computer science education. The reasons for the gap were revealed in the interviews, surveys and focus group discussions. The study concluded that several policy measures need to be taken to address the gender gap in computer science education in Uganda.

Pass The Plate: The Legend & Legacy Of United States Congressman Kenneth J. Gray, Marleis A. Trover

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Pass the Plate, the Legend and Legacy of United States Congressman, Kenneth J. Gray is told by stories that showcase one the most effective Congress-man of the Twentieth Century--the Congressman that made deals to actualize his visions and the visions of individuals who identified the nation's common good. Kenny was an ordinary person from an ordinary place that was able to accomplish extraordinary things for the people. As writers, the primary strategy of this book is to convey his success from the perspective of two citizen educators.

For any organization to succeed, the leader must provide hope--hope that something better …

Students' Perceptions Of Instructors' Identities: Effects And Interventions, Jeannie Ludlow, Laurie Rodgers, Mary Wrighten

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

This study resulted from the authors' interest in how students' perceptions of faculty identity (primarily race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, and academic rank) influence students' learning and instructors' classroom experiences. We focused on courses that fulfill the "cultural diversity" general education requirements at Bowling Green State University. The three courses that most students in the College of Arts and Sciences take to fulfill this requirement are ACS 250 Cultural Pluralism in the U.S., ETHN 101 Introduction to Ethnic Studies, and WS 200 Introduction to Women's Studies. Combined, these courses serve approximately 1400 students each semester.