Education Commons^™

Service-Learning: A Powerful Pedagogy For Promoting Academic Success Among Students Of Color, Michelle C. Sterk Barrett, Isabelle Jenkins

Scholarship and Professional Writing from the J.D. Power Center

This article discusses a mixed-methods study that investigated the service-learning experiences of students of color at College of the Holy Cross to better understand how service-learning may be an effective pedagogical tool for reducing cultural dissonance and addressing related achievement gaps. Quantitative data were collected from over 1,500 students who had enrolled in 59 different service-learning classes. In addition, interviews were conducted with 13 students of color who had participated in service-learning. Findings indicated that students’ service-learning experiences paralleled study participants’ descriptions of how they learned most effectively. Furthermore, the findings suggest that service-learning may resonate for students of color …

Persistence And Superintendents: A Phenomenological Study, Katherine Hamilton Howard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological research study was to describe the lived experiences of public school superintendents with the phenomenon of persistence. Self-Determination Theory was used to describe the experiences of superintendents who have held the superintendency in the same school district for at least 5 consecutive years (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2002). The central research question guiding the study is: What are the lived experiences of superintendents who persist in the public school superintendency? Subquestions addressed various aspects of Self-Determination Theory and persistence, including sources of motivation and goal attainment (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan …

Satisfaction Of Nontraditional Students In Health Sciences: A Causal Comparison Study Investigating Institutional Effectiveness, Erica Harrison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Nontraditional students have personal obstacles they must overcome in their journey through college. These barriers differ from traditional students and can include feelings of isolation and a sense that their chosen institutions are insensitive and inflexible to the particular nontraditional student needs. In this quantitative, causal-comparative study, the researcher sought to determine if students’ satisfaction, as measured by the Student Satisfaction Inventory, differed based on student status (traditional or nontraditional) and health science program (nursing, dental hygiene, or radiologic technology) enrolled at technical colleges of Georgia. This study was conducted at technical colleges in Georgia. Participants were students from five …

Shared Advocacy: A Multiple-Case Examination Of Practices Supporting Postsecondary Students With Learning And Attention Differences, Julie Mcnair

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This multiple-case study examined the practices of academic support providers who offered supplemental services for students with learning or attention differences at postsecondary institutions. Students with learning or attention differences transitioning to postsecondary institutions may need assistance developing self-advocacy through practice. The study employed self-determination theory and positive psychology (Deci & Ryan, 2002; Seligman, 2011), asking the central research question, "How do academic support providers at postsecondary institutions offer shared-advocacy, promoting intrinsic motivation through accommodative intervention strategies for students with learning disabilities and/or ADHD?" Previously unheard perspectives of academic support providers at five postsecondary institutions presented these insights. Analysis occurred …

Black Male Persistence In Spite Of Facing Stereotypes In College: A Phenomenological Exploration, Taylor Benjamin Hardy Boyd M.Ed., Donald Mitchell Jr., Ph.D.

Executives, Administrators, & Staff Publications

Stereotypes often create threatening environments for Black males on college campuses. This study sought to break the deficit narrative surrounding Black males in college by highlighting how they persisted despite facing stereotypes. Six participants were included in this study. Through interviews and naturalistic observations, we explored how participants articulated their experiences with stereotypes, how they dealt with those experiences, how the experiences shaped future endeavors, and how they used strategies to dispel stereotypes and persist through threatening experiences. Findings suggest (a) the participants dealt with internalized feelings due to stereotypes; (b) stereotypes were reinforced in various ways; and, (c) they …

Persistence At A Tribal University: Factors Associated With Second Year Enrollment, Thomas C. Motl, Karen D. Multon, Fei Zhao

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

Participants include 89 college students from a tribal university in the Midwestern United States. A survey regarding attitudes and adjustment to campus was administered to all students during their first semester of college. Variables assessed included psychosociocultural integration factors, such as educational goals, trust of others at college, longing for home, school pride, and fair treatment from others (Motl et al., 2009). Objective variables indicating level of academic preparation for college (high school GPA, ACT scores, and class percentile), academic integration (college GPAs), and persistence (2nd-year enrollment status) were gathered from the university. Using logistic regression procedures, a model was …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Non-Academic Factors That Cuban Female Non-Native English Speakers Perceived To Have Been Principal Influences On Their Successful Attainment Of A Baccalaureate Degree In The U.S., Nelson Magana

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cubans arrive in the U.S. with more formal education than other Latino immigrants, and they arrive to communities with long standing networks of support. Though their baccalaureate degree attainment is better than their non-Cuban Latina counterparts, Cuban women still lag behind White, non-Latina women. The qualitative study aims to explore the principal influences and non-academic factors that 15 adult Cuban non-native English-speaking women in South Florida attribute to the successful attainment of their baccalaureate degree.

There are many differences among the various immigrant Latino communities in the U.S., and Cuban women are largely absent from the research. Nearly 75% of …

Black Male Persistence In Spite Of Facing Stereotypes In College: A Phenomenological Exploration, Taylor Benjamin Hardy Boyd, Donald Mitchell Jr.

Faculty Publications

Stereotypes often create threatening environments for Black males on college campuses. This study sought to break the deficit narrative surrounding Black males in college by highlighting how they persisted despite facing stereotypes. Six participants were included in this study. Through interviews and naturalistic observations, we explored how participants articulated their experiences with stereotypes, how they dealt with those experiences, how the experiences shaped future endeavors, and how they used strategies to dispel stereotypes and persist through threatening experiences. Findings suggest (a) the participants dealt with internalized feelings due to stereotypes; (b) stereotypes were reinforced in various ways; and, (c) they …

Interpretative Analysis Of Adult Learners’ Lived Experiences In A Uniquely Designed Higher Education Program, Latonya M. Branham

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The lived and collegiate experiences of adult learners, who are among the fastest growing student population in 21st century higher education, is the essence of this study. The study was conducted using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Fifteen baccalaureate level degree-seeking study participants consented to share their respective journeys. Twenty-one interviews were conducted for the study. Code-listed categories, themes and sub-themes emerged from two interview sessions, and member-checking sessions. Several themes were aligned to two research questions: In what ways, if any, are the distinctive needs and expectations of adult learners fulfilled through a baccalaureate level adult learner program; and, what does …