Education Commons^™

Utilizing Interprofessional Collaboration To Support And Broaden Perspectives Of First-Generation, Low-Income Students, Taylor Stratman

Social Work Masters Capstone Projects

First-gen, low-income students face significant barriers when it comes to postsecondary education. In order to be successful, professionals working with this population has utilized value-led programming and provided expansions of their cultural perspectives.

How And Why Design Education Instructors Use Place-Based Education In Their Courses, Michael Flynn

Online Theses and Dissertations

Place-based education (PBE) is a pedological approach that takes learning outside of the classroom into the local community. Allowing students to not only explore their physical environments but also the history, people, and culture of a place. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the use of PBE by design education instructors in higher education. This focus on PBE in design education is significant because PBE has not been extensively examined in a design context. The results should extend knowledge about ways that local learning environments can create opportunities and experiences for design students that cannot be …

Asking Appalachia: Appalachian English In The Writing Classroom, Rachel Nicole Hampton

Online Theses and Dissertations

This thesis combines primary and secondary research in order to make an argument about the need for better educational practices for Appalachian students. A problem is first established that, because of how Appalachian people and their culture are represented in the media, negative stereotypes are spread about those from the region who are easily identified by their use of Appalachian English. Standard English is widely taught and students are encouraged to suppress their accent and dialect in order to mediate this. However, these practices allow no room for these students to use and embrace their own language. This thesis investigates …

Instructional Coaching And Student Achievement, Lee Ann Lewellen

Online Theses and Dissertations

School districts across the nation are employing coaching for teachers as a means to improve teacher quality and increase student achievement. Looking specifically at instructional coaching as an intervention for teacher support, this study considers the literacy growth data of coached teachers compared to the literacy growth data of uncoached teachers when controlling for years of teaching experience. Data from this study did not find a statistically significant difference between the students’ data from the two groups of teachers.

Multimodality And The Sociality Of Literacies: Shaping First-Year Writing Students’ Literacies Through Multimodal Approaches, Jonathon Collins

Online Theses and Dissertations

The research presented here focuses on approaches to developing multimodal literacies through social semiotics, digital modes of communication, and multiliteracies. Intentionally developing these literacies opens the door for first-year writing students to build upon social discourses in which they already engage and develop new modes of meaning making outside of solely alphabetic literacy. Composition textbooks today, both traditional and Open Educational Resources (OER), become more effective in developing post-process and collaborative pedagogy writing standards when they focus on multimodal literacies and practices as outlined in this research. My research addresses both the historical precedent for multimodality in the Composition classroom …

How Administrators Perceive Reductions In State Funding Higher Education, Bruce Manley

Online Theses and Dissertations

Funding for public higher education has been cut in Kentucky in the decade starting 2008 (Spalding, 2019). Due to several contributing factors, including entitlement programs, healthcare costs, the great recession, and other competing demands at the state level, this is a nationwide trend and is not predicted to reverse any time soon. This funding decrease forces institutions of higher education to look at other sources and/or methods of funding to continue their missions. Most often, funding outside of the state and tuition, are restricted and program based. Any type of public funds and program-based grants comes with the understanding that …

Impact Of Living Learning Communities On Underserved Minority Students At A Regional Comprehensive University, Brandon Leonard Thompson

Online Theses and Dissertations

As access to higher education for underserved minority (USM) students has consistently increased over the past 20 years, college and university campuses across the United States have observed an achievement gap between USM students and their white counterparts (Brown, 2019; Doan, 2015; Flores, Park & Baker, 2017; Pope, 2002; Ramos; 2019). This achievement gap is acute and carries significant consequences if not addressed. As campuses seek to find solutions to close this achievement gap, it is essential to identify strategies that meet the needs of USM students instead of waiting for students to adapt to higher education and campus culture …

Academic Coaching As A Transition Model For Graduating College Students With Disabilities, Lee Ann Griesheimer

Online Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the bachelor’s degree graduation rates of three groups of undergraduate students at a regional, public university in Kentucky. The three groups consisted of those registered with disability services, those registered with disability services who received individual coaching appointments, and those in the general population. This ex post facto study also compared if the three groups maintained a grade point average of 2.0 or higher at equivalent rates and examined the characteristics of students registered with disability services between 2011 and 2016. Although the …

Professional Learning Communities: Perception Of Impact On Learning, Esther Denise Hayden

Online Theses and Dissertations

This research focused on Professional Learning Communities (PLC): Perception of Impact on Learning. The overarching question for the research is: How do principals and teachers in Title I schools perceive the learning benefits in a Professional Learning Community?

(a) What do teachers perceive as benefits of participating in a Professional Learning Community? (b) What do teachers perceive as an influence(s) on student learning in a PLC community? (c) What do teachers perceive to be the limitations of a PLC community? This qualitative research study analyzed data from current principals and teachers in proficient Title 1 schools as outlined by the …

Investigating A State-Funded Disciplinary Literacy Program In Kentucky For Educators Of Adolescent Students, Kevin Presnell

Online Theses and Dissertations

This case study describes a professional learning opportunity for educators of adolescents, namely the Literacy for Adolescent Teachers (LAT), at a regional midsize university in Kentucky. The LAT is a year-long experience that enrollees undertake to grow professionally by gaining specific literacy skills. This study focuses specifically on participant experience with the disciplinary literacy content, strategies, and resources presented at the summer program. This investigation sought to understand if participation in the disciplinary literacy program impacted the participants’ perceptions of literacy and their dispositional attitudes toward integrating literacy into their professional practice. The data revealed that participants in the LAT …

The Road To Justice: Incarcerated Students’ View On Education Behind Bars, Margaret Baker Price

Online Theses and Dissertations

The experience of students that are incarcerated is largely unknown. This qualitative phenomenological research study allowed four college students that are incarcerated to share their experiences. Research shows individuals who are incarcerated are less likely to reoffend this study upon release. This study will show how these individuals view their educational experience during incarceration. Interviews were conducted with each participant and data was coded and organized into themes. By utilizing a phenomenological stance, observations were made of events that led to the placement of participants in the prison system and how education has impacted their time spent incarcerated. Themes discovered …

Barriers To Seeking And Obtaining Academic Accommodations In College Classrooms, Clint Pinion

Online Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored barriers to seeking and obtaining academic accommodations for college students with identified learning disabilities attending a regional university in a Midwestern state in the United States of America. A biological model of inclusive education for use in higher education, developed by Hewett, Douglas, McLinden, and Keil (2016), was used as a guiding framework for the study. Semi-structured interviews, guided by a framework presented by Galleta (2013), were used to understand better the accommodation experiences of college students with identified learning disabilities. Thematic analysis was used to analyze transcribed data. Five themes emerged from the interviews …

The Impact That The Power Scholars’ Academy Program Has On The Achievement Of Students In Reading And Math, Sharonda Steele

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of a summer learning loss prevention program that is designed to improve the academic achievement gap. The target population for this research study was participants of the Power Scholars Academy (PSA) program. PSA is a collaboration of BellXcel, local school districts, and community organizations. BellXcel as the creator of the program, provided the curriculum for extended learning opportunities during out of school time. For this study, BellXcel partnered with the school district located in the second largest county in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The study analyzed 1,567 students who participated …

An Examination Of Print Awareness When Using Electronic And Printed Books With Preschool-Aged Children, Marissa Taylor

Online Theses and Dissertations

With growing numbers of online and electronic learning formats, it has become increasingly more crucial to consider literacy development and written language exposure in preschool-aged students. Emergent literacy, which includes print awareness, is a key element of future reading success. The following study aimed to examine children’s print awareness skills through dialogic reading using both printed and ebook formats. During this study, five participants were selected from a local, private preschool and participated in a weeklong study in which they were read to dialogically with specific prompts concerning print awareness skills for a one-on-one intervention. During the initial session, a …

Community College Retention Initiative: A Qualitative Study On The Lived Experiences Of Black Males Entrenched In A Mentoring Program At One Associate-Level College In The Southeastern Region, Brandon Turnley

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the lived experiences of graduates of a Black Male Initiative (BMI) mentoring program at one associate-level College in the southeast region and the impact mentoring had on the participant's success at the college and its impact on obtaining their degree. Critical Race Theory (CRT) was the theoretical framework shaping the study, which acknowledges the centrality of race in every aspect of culture in the United States, including higher education. Three research questions guided this study (1) How do graduates of the mentoring program view their success with the program? (2) …

Correlation Between Student Success And On-Campus Jobs, William Thomas Willis

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the level of degree on-campus jobs at Eastern Kentucky University assist with the overall student success rate regarding retention, grade point average and degrees awarded to ensure state and other funding sources are maximized. Specifically, this study focuses on major student employers on campus including the Admissions Office, Library Services, Student Life, Campus Recreation, University Housing, and a culmination of Other Departments. The data used was collected from Eastern Kentucky University’s institutional research office from the Fall 2016 to Fall 2018 academic year. The analysis of the results drew positive conclusions regarding on-campus employment resulting in a …

Community Development Through Career And Technical Education In The U.S. Education System For A Higher American Standard Of Living, Marty Stuart Asbridge

Online Theses and Dissertations

The evolution of the public education system to include more career and life readiness skills should be a central matter of focus to education policymakers across the United States by improving the planning, implementation, and evaluation of Career and Technical Education programs. This is because improving the societal standard of living relies on proper Community Development, through the framework of developing the potential quality of America’s most vital human capital, its students entering the workforce. In its current state Career and Technical Education is an important but underdeveloped program set to accomplish building student skills in work ethics and administrative …

The Effects Of Education With Healthcare Providers On Low Vision Assistive Devices And Their Ability To Improve Self-Care Skills, Lora L. Jester-Rains

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Results of a study by Casten et al., (2005) confirmed low rates of use of devices and services for low vision by the older adult. Older adults with low vision are receptive to using low vision resources but are often unaware of them (Lighthouse International, 2021). Casten et al. (2005) further suggested that the lack of services or use of devices may be due to a lack of awareness of health care professionals. Low vision assistive devices (LVAD), whether high or low tech, or mainstream, can help maximize a client’s vision so that they can perform everyday tasks …