Education Commons^™

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Persistence In Adult Remedial Education, Carol L. Holmquist, Robert K. Gable, Felice D. Billups

K-12 Education

No abstract provided.

The Privilege And The Challenge: Storytelling And The Doctoral Experience, Felice D. Billups

Higher Education

Paper presented at the 45th annual meeting of the New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO), April 17-19, 2013, Portsmouth, NH.

Conducting Focus Groups With College Students: Strategies To Ensure Success, Felice D. Billups

Research Methodology

Institutional researchers are often asked to conduct focus groups as an efficient way to address an institutional concern or problem. Typically, IR professionals depend on external consultants and specialists to conduct these group interviews for them; however, due to recent resource constraints (staffing, budgets), they are increasingly assuming responsibility for conducting the focus group sessions themselves. Institutional researchers require specialized skills in order to engage college students in this type of group interviewing; college students present specific characteristics and preferences that require careful consideration. Numerous research studies have used focus groups to support or augment research on college students (Breen, …

College Student Perceptions Of Student Life Programs, Felice D. Billups, Ed.D.

Higher Education

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to describe and explore undergraduate student satisfaction with student life programming at a small, specialized college in the Northeast. Phase I of the study employed a quantitative instrument to determine the satisfaction and extent of involvement with programming (N = 240); Phase II employed focus groups (N = 4) to further probe and clarify findings from Phase I and to develop a holistic profile of student perspectives on programs designed to supplement their collegiate educational experience.

Exploring Organizational Culture Through Metaphor Analysis, Felice D. Billups

Research Methodology

How would you describe your campus culture or your school environment? Would you carefully outline the details of the working conditions, the way people interact in meetings, or the unique communication style of your organization? Or would you rather use a descriptive phrase, or even a metaphor, to summarily reveal your organization’s culture? Metaphor analysis, as a means to uncover organizational culture, is an increasingly popular strategy for qualitative researchers. In interpretative qualitative studies, metaphors comprise a form of linguistic analysis which assists researchers who are interested in an intensive but short-term evaluation of organizational culture (Patton, 2002; Schmitt, 2005). …

Exploring Organizational Culture Through Metaphor Analysis, Felice D. Billups

Higher Education

How would you describe your campus culture or your school environment? Would you carefully outline the details of the working conditions, the way people interact in meetings, or the unique communication style of your organization? Or would you rather use a descriptive phrase, or even a metaphor, to summarily reveal your organization’s culture? Metaphor analysis, as a means to uncover organizational culture, is an increasingly popular strategy for qualitative researchers. In interpretative qualitative studies, metaphors comprise a form of linguistic analysis which assists researchers who are interested in an intensive but short-term evaluation of organizational culture (Patton, 2002; Schmitt, 2005). …

Perceptions Of Doctoral Students Regarding Factors Contributing To Student Success, Felice D. Billups, Stacey L. Kite

Higher Education

Doctoral students comprise a unique population with special needs and concerns, both academically and personally. However, minimal research has been conducted regarding the programs and services that appropriately meet their needs, ensuring their academic success. The purpose of this study is to describe doctoral student satisfaction with Ed.D. program support services, offered at a small university in southern New England. Qualitative data from the first phase of this study identified factors that impede or assist in the completion of the degree program. These findings were used to develop a quantitative instrument to determine the satisfaction and magnitude of importance from …

Academic Integration Of Doctoral Students: Applying Tinto’S Model, Felice D. Billups

Higher Education

Doctoral students comprise a unique population with special needs and concerns. While considerable research has investigated graduate student satisfaction and retention (Brandes, 2006; Golde, 1998; Tinto, 1987), much of the research views graduate students as extensions of undergraduates in terms of their motivations and needs.

Diversity Education And Student Perceptions Of Campus Climate, Bethany Zemba, Felice D. Billups

Higher Education

The term diversity refers to demographic variables such as race, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, age, education, and geographic origin (Rynes & Rosen, 2006). Diversity can also include work group affiliation, life-style, career history, and cognitive style (Pendry, Driscoll, & Field, 2007). The demographic diversity found in the United States population can provide opportunities to embrace new customs and expand traditional roles. However, it may also create challenges as people struggle to find common ground in communities composed of individuals and groups with varied backgrounds and values (Rodriguez, 1998; Trauth, Johnson, Morgan, Huang, & Quesenberry, 2007).

Rapidly changing …

Surviving A Doctoral Program: Student Perspectives Of Support Services, Felice D. Billups, Stacey L. Kite

Higher Education

The purpose of this study is to investigate student perspectives on factors that impede and assist in the completion of an Ed.D. program. Students at a small university in the northeast currently enrolled in their courses, as well as those enrolled in their dissertation phase, were included in this study.

Measuring College Student Satisfaction: A Multi-Year Study Of The Factors Leading To Persistence, Felice D. Billups

Higher Education

How satisfied are students with their college experience? Do they receive the academic and social benefits they expect when they enroll? At what point do they decide that their institutional choice is a “fit” or not? Numerous researchers have investigated these questions for decades (Astin, 1977; Noel, 1978; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Peters, 1988; Tinto, 1987). In the end, most researchers agree that highly satisfied students are more likely to remain in, and ultimately, graduate from college. One of the ways that colleges measure student satisfaction is through the administration of student satisfaction surveys. Satisfaction survey programs emerged in the …