Education Commons^™

To Lead Or Not To Lead: Undergraduate Women’S Experiences In Leadership, Kait Bedel

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

Women have increasingly occupied a greater percentage of the college student population in recent history. Given the importance of involvement and leadership development during the undergraduate years, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect that participating within a leadership role can have on a woman’s view of self-as-leader as well as her overarching leadership development. This study implemented a qualitative, phenomenological design through the use of individual interviews. The interview protocol was designed to be semi-structured which allowed the participants freedom in their ability to communicate about their leadership experiences. The data collected from these interviews revealed …

Practicing Postures Of Growth: A Quasi-Experiment Exploring Student Engagement And Ownership Of Learning, Morgan Allison

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

The American education system has evolved into a competitive learning environment that defines student learning as the ability to pass high-stakes standardized tests and have high grade point averages, but there is a significant gap between K-12 and higher education expectations in what qualifies a student as “smart” and college ready. Literature shows that students who are taught how to take ownership of, engage in, and develop skills to enhance their learning are more likely to be college ready and cultivate deep learning experiences throughout the entirety of their academic career. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if …

Living Life Together: A Qualitative Exploration Of Taylor University’S Lifestyle Covenant, Jana L. Roste

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

In pursuit of exploring student, staff, and faculty perceptions’ of the Life Together Covenant (LTC) at Taylor University, this qualitative study consisting of individual interviews with ten senior students, ten staff members, and ten faculty members, found that participants generally perceived the LTC as a guide or set of expectations to live cohesively at Taylor. However, outside of this unified purpose, the three participant groups’ perceptions and experiences of the LTC varied.

Tension, Division, And Chaos: A Phenomenological Study On The Impacts Of The 2020 Election On Belonging In White Student And Students Of Color, Bailey S. Sauls

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

This qualitative study researched the impacts of the 2020 presidential election on college students’ sense of belonging and the differences in impacts between White students and students of color. Belonging is crucial to student experience, and students of color face more barriers to belonging than White students. Additionally, the 2016 presidential election left more lasting negative effects on mental health and student experience than previous elections. These impacts were more directly felt by students of color. In this study ten White students and ten students of color were interviewed about their experiences during the 2020 election. Both groups indicated that …

Experiencing God Together: A Phenomenology Of Campus Revival And Its Impact On Student Faith And Spirituality, Caleb Hoelscher

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

Campus revivals are a significant historical phenomenon in higher education, and interest in faith and spirituality is gaining significant amount of attention in student development literature. However, there are currently no studies exploring the connections between campus revival and father and spirituality from a student development perspective. In order to fill this gap in the literature, two questions guided this study: What is the shared experience of students who participated in a campus revival? What impact, if any, does participation in a campus revival have on student faith and spirituality? The study employed a phenomenological design, interviewing nine alumni who …

Inclusive Environments: How Campus Mobility Effects A Sense Of Belonging For The Student With A Mobility Impairment, Taylor Treece

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

With an increase in students with disabilities entering into a college campus, understanding their unique needs is necessary to ensure they complete their college experience. Their rise in enrollment by students with disabilities is due in part to the increased supports within the K-12 schooling systems. This leaves higher education professionals unprepared to serve college students with disabilities in developing a positive sense of belonging during the transition to postsecondary education. This study explores if and how campus mobility impacts the sense of belonging for a student with a mobility impairment. This student implemented a best practices design and also …

Selfies, Stories, And Statuses: The Impact Of Social Media Usage On The Self-Esteem Of College Students, Nick Dennig

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

Social media is pervasive in today’s culture, and this reality is true among college students as well. As a result, students must understand what, if any, impact social media usage had on their lives, specifically self-esteem. This quantitative, true experiment answered the question “What impact does social media usage have on the self-esteem of college students?” For the purpose of this study, social media usage was defined as time spent on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. This study took place at a private, small, four-year, liberal arts institution in the Midwest and included 61 participants. Participants were asked …

The Impact Of The First-Year Experience On A College Student’S God Image: A Phenomenological Study, Josiah Peterson

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

The first year of college comes with many new experiences, including those that impact and change a student’s faith. This phenomenological study investigated how the first-year experience of students at a Midwest, faith-based, liberal arts college impacted faith development and particularly God images. Results revealed that the community around the students, the difficulties and struggles they faced, and the new perspectives they encountered led students to view God in more relational and loving ways than prior to their first year of college. The discussion introduces readers to opportunities for student development educators to engage with first-year students in their faith …

Should Universities Encourage Students To Be Undecided?: A Consideration Of Major Declaration Patterns And First-Destinations, Amber D. Stanley

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

Research on undecided students is contradictory at best. Studies both support and condemn the undecided states based on factors like persistence, changing majors, and graduation rates. Given the conflicting nature of the research on undecided students and the absence of research on undecided students and first-destinations (i.e., first jobs following graduation), it is difficult to discern whether or not institutions should actively encourage students to choose an undecided status.

This study sought to combine major declaration and first-destination data to explore what, if any, relationship exists between major declaration patterns and first-destination outcomes. Quantitative descriptive analysis was used to compare …

Let’S Talk About Sex: Healthy Sexuality Programming At Faith-Based Institutions, Kenedy M. Kieffer

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

College is a time in life where students grow and develop inside and outside of the classroom. Attitudes that students develop related to healthy sexuality should not be different from anything else learned in college, as it is a central part of who they become by the time they graduate. This research study explores the methods faith-based institutions are employing to educate students toward healthy sexuality when requiring specific sexual behavior expectations to which students adhere. These methods included institutional commitment to educating students, educating through relationships with students, specific groups being educated, and educating in curricular and co-curricular spaces …

Promoting Persistence: Faculty Of Color And The Graduation Rates Of Students Of Color At Predominantly White Institution, Serena Draper

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

Over the last several decades, access to higher education for students of color has rapidly expanded. Yet while the population of students of color continues to grow in higher education, faculty diversity has not matched pace. This disparity creates curiosity regarding the relationship between faculty representation and persistence in college. In light of this reality, this study examined the relationship between faculty representation and graduation rates by race and ethnicity at predominantly white institutions. This study used publicly available IPEDS data to measure the 6-year graduation rates for varying racial groups and the percentage of faculty of those groups at …