Education Commons^™

University Student Success In Graduation: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Of The “Aha” Moment, When A College Graduate Realized They Could Finish Their Degree, Justin M. Shannon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover the college graduate experience of a junior officer who decided to finish their bachelor’s degree despite any temptation to drop out of school; participants were selected from a midwestern military installation. The guiding theory of this study was Duckworth’s grit theory; the study related to her theory by examining participants’ passion and perseverance and their relation to the motivation in the context of choice to finish the goal of graduating from college and commissioning as an officer in the U.S. Army. This qualitative design used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach; data collection …

An Exploratory Case Study Of Student Grit With Educational Technology In Learning Environments, Crystal Rees

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to understand the expectations Generation Alpha (Gen Alpha), those born between 2010 and 2024, has on educational technology (edtech) in learning environments and how those students rate their grit with 12 participants in third through ninth grade. The theory guiding this study was grit theory by Angela Duckworth regarding grit. This qualitative study was conducted with 12 student participants in their learning environment using a qualitative questionnaire, student interview, and student observation during their dedicated homework time. Memoing was used during observations and interviews to record common phrases between participants when describing …

The Relationship Of Grit And Social Media Addiction For College Students, Tobias K. England

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study explored the relationship between grit and social media. Researchers have noted a significant increase in the use of social media among college students that often results in negative outcomes, both personally and academically. Previous studies have shown that grit is a trait that negatively relates to various types of addictive behavior. However, little is known about the correlation between grit and social media addiction specifically. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between grit and social media addiction. This study collected data from the student populations of three private colleges and followed a correlational …

A Phenomenological Study That Examines The Perseverance Of Young Single Mothers Who Have Earned A College Degree, Christine Marie Kirkpatrick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to understand perseverance in young single mothers who have earned a college degree. The theory guiding this study is Duckworth’s theory of grit since many students who complete undergraduate degrees experience barriers related to the components of grit. Participants for this study were single mothers who have completed a college degree from an institution of higher learning in central Pennsylvania by the age of thirty. Data for the study were collected utilizing one-on-one interviews, personal timelines, and focus group discussions. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’ data analysis processes, including horizonalization, reduction, and …

Fostering Grit In The University Student, Hope Ballentine, Diana Dunbar

TFSC Publications and Presentations

Second Annual University of Arkansas Teaching and Learning Symposium: Sharing Teaching Ideas

In the preeminent work on grit, Duckworth et al. (2007) first defined grit as “perseverance and passion for long term-goals.” Evidence is overwhelming that grit is a predictor of success in various arenas of life, often when no other valid predictors can be identified. Grit was the only statistically significant predictor of both academic and clinical success in an Australian study of over 2000 university students (Terry & Peck, 2020). Both job satisfaction and performance are improved with increased grit (Cho & Kim, 2022). Clear evidence that a …

The Predictive Relationship Between Grit, Servant Leadership, And Growth Mindset In Public School Administrators, Dawn E. Lyons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research on grit, growth mindset, and servant leadership theories has found that implementing these theories in school settings can positively impact student achievement. However, a study has not been conducted investigating the combined effects of the three theories. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive linear relationship of grit (criterion variable), growth mindset (predictor variable), and servant leadership (predictor variable) with school administrators. This study used a quantitative prediction design utilizing the self-report measures of the Grit-S Scale, the Growth Mindset Scale, and the SL-7. Thirty-four principals, 25 assistant principals, and nine elementary interns in a school …

A Correlational Study Of Noncognitive Variables And Student Success In Dental Education, Jennifer Lynn Keim Wibbeler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In 1995, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published Dental Education at the Crossroads: Challenges and Change, advocating for a revolution in dental education. Notably, it recommended that course content, structure, and delivery be modernized in response to graduating clinicians lacking the critical thinking and problem-solving skills required in a patient care setting. To help determine if current dental education trends are promoting these skills, the purpose of this cross-sectional, correlational study is to investigate the relationship between students' noncognitive variables (self-regulation, intrinsic motivation, autonomous functioning, learning strategies, and grit), as predictor variables, and self-directed academic performance (as measured by end-of-term …

Grit As A Predictor Of Academic Achievement Among Street-Connected Boys In Bungoma, Kenya: A Quantitative Study, Brigid Siobhan Scripa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, predictive, correlational study was to examine the relationship between street-connected children’s grit while enrolled in Reach International Children’s Center and street-connected children’s grit while living with family of origin. Furthermore, the purpose of this study was to examine hypothesized predictors of rank-ordered academic achievement among street-connected children, recently rescued street-connected children, recently reintegrated street-connected children, and home-connected children. A world phenomenon is currently occurring where children are migrating to the streets in search of shelter, security, and safety; children are migrating to the streets in search of meeting their basic needs. While the factors that …

The Grit To Not Quit - An Examination Of The Relationship Between Grit And Teacher Retention, Alexia W. Bultman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the level of grit that best predict years in teaching. The study sought to answer the research question, How accurately can years of teaching experience be predicted from the linear combination of grit score (meaning the consistency of interest and perseverance of effort), age, gender, level of education, grade level taught, and subjects taught? Teachers (N = 468) of preschool-12th grade in a large suburban Atlanta school district responded to survey questions from the Grit-S Scale questionnaire along with demographic questions. Multiple linear regression was conducted to analyze the data. The …

Utilizing Parent And Educator Self Efficacy And Grit Training To Encourage The Pursuit Of Stem Careers For Elementary Students From Traditionally Underrepresented Groups, Twianie Roberts,, Annette Roberts-Murray

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

In the United States, there is an increased demand for professionals in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Research indicates that individuals with higher levels of self-efficacy and grit have higher levels of academic achievement. Traditional research has focused on the self-efficacy and grit of students. Realizing the impact that parents and educators have in the lives of students, the purpose of this model is to determine the effect that parent and educator self-efficacy and grit training has on the pursuit of STEM careers for elementary students from traditionally underrepresented groups. The data gathered, will examine the impact that professional …

Increasing Stem Grit Among Underrepresented Groups: Lessons From Our Fathers, Twianie Roberts, Orville Bignall, Sibyl Moore

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

Research indicates that students with a high level of Grit and self-efficacy have higher levels of academic achievement. Grit is comprised of passion (consistency of interest) and perseverance of effort, for long-term goals. The purpose of this model is to increase Grit among underrepresented groups. It utilizes one aspect of self-efficacy, “vicarious experiences”, to increase STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Grit among underrepresented groups. Historical contributions from individuals from underrepresented groups in STEM fields are used vicariously to promote student Grit by showing examples of perseverance resulting in academic excellence. This model has implications for curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional …

Career And Technical Education Experiences Relationship To Technology Attitudes, Self-Regulation And Grit, Kendall Hartley, Xue Xing

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

Career and Technical Education (CTE) secondary school experiences have a positive impact on career development and academic achievement. This study explores other positive impacts such as technology attitudes, persistence, and cognitive traits that are associated with career and academic success. This study investigated the relationships between high school CTE experiences of 103 pre-service education students and technology attitudes, grit, and self-regulated learning. The results demonstrate a statistically significant positive correlation between the number of CTE courses taken in high school and technology dependence. Similarly, there is a positive correlation between CTE courses and self-regulatory skills. Grit was positively correlated with …

The Relationship Between Secondary Teachers' Grit And Self-Efficacy Beliefs On Classroom Management And Student Engagement, Laurie White Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teaching as a profession is becoming more and more difficult. School districts are facing a teacher shortage, creating greater focus on recruitment and retention efforts. The majority of these efforts focus on novice teachers (within the first five years) providing support and assistance to help keep them in the classroom. Less effort is placed upon assisting the veteran teacher in maintaining effort in the classroom and avoiding burnout. Those who experience burnout or become disheartened show a reduction in effort negatively impacting student achievement. The purpose of this correlational study was to explore the relationship between teacher passion and perseverance …

The Class Of 2020, Srinivasan Ragothaman

Creative Work

The is a poem written in honor of the class of 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has robbed them of many fun activities in their final semester in college. The graduating seniors missed out on so many rites of passage such as march madness, commencement, award banquets, sports, labs, practice, face-to-face classes etc. for the last two months. Seniors are encouraged to have fortitude, practice patience, be grateful and show grit. The class of 2020 will conquer the world in due course. It is hoped that graduates will have imagination, will innovate and transform the world.

Growing Grit To Produce Doctoral Persistence: A Grounded Theory Study, Melanie Denise Moran Hudson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to generate a model explaining how grit and a growth mindset develop and influence doctoral persistence in doctoral completers. The theories guiding this study were Tinto’s (1975) student integration theory of college persistence, Duckworth’s (2016) theory of grit, and Dweck’s (2016) theory of mindset. Interview and reflective journaling data, as well as scores on the Short Grit Scale (Duckworth, 2016) and the Dweck Mindset Instrument (Dweck, 2016), from 12 doctoral completers were analyzed using systematic coding consistent with a grounded theory research design. The central research question of the study was, …

The Relationship Of Motivational Climates, Mindsets, And Goal Orientations To Grit In Male Adolescent Soccer Players, Erin Albert, Trent A. Petrie, E. Whitney G. Moore

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Across a variety of domains, such as in academics and in the military, grit is a significant predictor of performance, even after controlling for dimensions of innate ability. However, little is known about how grit develops or the psychosocial factors that may contribute to its presence (i.e. motivational climates, mindsets, and goal orientations). Although sport is a natural context in which to examine grit, both as a predictor and an outcome, few studies have done so. Thus, within the framework of achievement motivation theory, we examined the relationships of the perceived motivational climate created by coaches (task-involving vs. ego-involving), athletes’ …

Predicting First Term Success In An Associates Degree Nursing Program Using Cognitive And Noncognitive Factors, Richard Hilton Turner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since the late 1990s the nursing field has experienced increased demand for RN’s as well as a number of internal and external factors that have worsened this problem. College admissions officers have struggled to identify those students who are most likely to persist in an associate degree nursing (ADN) program. Estimates of programmatic attrition vary, but fall somewhere between 25-50%. A great deal of research has been expended in an attempt to determine which preadmission variables are most likely to indicate programmatic success. Unfortunately, no “best set” of admissions variables has been identified. The purpose of this research was to …

An Analysis Of Grit Scores On First-Year Undergraduate Students' Persistence At A Large Private University, Nina Shenkle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Student persistence in higher education has become an increasingly high priority as institutions seek to improve undergraduate completion rates. Traditionally, cognitive abilities such as aptitude and intelligence have been used to measure and predict whether a student will be successful in college. However, there is evidence that noncognitive abilities such as determination or effort are as important and as indicative of success as cognitive abilities. This nonexperimental, causal-comparative study utilized a multivariate analysis of variance to analyze archival data of 832 undergraduate students from a large private university to determine the differences between the overall grit score, perseverance of effort …

A Predictive Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Grit And Self-Efficacy Beliefs Among Pre-Service Teachers, Rosetta Riddle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this predictive correlational study was to examine the relationship between the personality trait of grit and self-efficacy levels. The predictor variable of grit to the criterion variable of self-efficacy for pre-service teachers enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a Mid-Atlantic university was studied. Investigating connections between motivation and resilience that might result in self-efficacious behaviors was the focus of the study. The study was important because although some research studies existed regarding content specific self-efficacy of pre-service teachers, limited research had been conducted regarding self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers based on school level. This was a …

Comparing And Validating Measures Of Character Skills: Findings From A Nationally Representative Sample, Gema Zamarro, Albert Cheng, M. Danish Shakeel, Collin Hitt

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Though researchers now are aware of the potential importance of character skills, such as conscientiousness, grit, self-control, and a growth mindset, researchers struggle to find reliable measures of these skills. In this paper, we use data collected from the Understanding America Study, a nationally representative internet panel to study the validity of innovative measures of character skills based on measures of survey effort. We believe surveys themselves can be seen as a behavioral tasks and that respondents provide meaningful information about their character skills by way of the effort they put forward on surveys. In particular, we compare measures of …

Multidimensional Resilience In Honors Students At Bryant University, Haley Nicol

Honors Projects in Applied Psychology

College level honors programs are continuously working towards improvement of their programs and working towards improving the college experience for their students. Apart from recognition and developing a positive reputation for the university, the goals for these selective academic programs include better serving their students from both academic and professional perspectives, as well encouraging and increasing program completion retention rates. There are various ways of testing students to assess their mindset and personal drive as well as gauge the possibility of students graduating with successful completion of their Capstone project or thesis in their senior year. To better understand how …

Capturing The Social/Emotional World Of Students, David Naff, Jesse Senechal

MERC Publications

The goal of this report is to explore the possibilities using student social emotional measures withing K-12 schools. This will include (1) a discussion of what constitutes a social emotional measure, (2) an overview of commonly used measures, and (3) a discussion of how these measures may inform school improvement processes and promote the success of students at the classroom, school, school system, and community level.

G83-669 Backyard Wildlife Feeding Birds (Revised May 1997), Ron J. Johnson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The first in a series of six, this NebGuide describes the essentials of bird feeding for attracting birds to your backyard. Bird feeding is a popular and convenient way to observe birds up close, and it augments the primary habitat formed by backyard and neighborhood plantings. Nebraska is an excellent place to discover the joys of learning about birds, with nearly 400 bird species, 200 of which nest in the state. Bird feeding can provide regular observation of 15 to 20 or more species that commonly come to backyard feeders.

Cc56-126 Poultry Profit Pointers: Feeding For Egg Production, Elvin C. Schulte

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Eggs are produced from the feed we give our hens. The number of eggs taht are produced depends upon the amount and quality of the ration. For a hen to lay profitabily she must have a full feed of a properly balanced ration.

This campaign circular discusses what is needed to get the best egg production from your hens.

Cc56-139 Poultry Profit Pointers: Marketing Eggs, Elvin C. Schulte

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The egg represents the marketable, finished produce from the laying flock. Poultry raisers should be familiar with eggs and do everything possible to maintain egg quality. Eggs are a valuable human food because they are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. Like other important protein foods, eggs should be properly handled to protect their quality.

This campaign circular discusses what to look for in the size eggs and how to handle them before taking them market.

Cc56-132 Poultry Profit Pointers: Range Management, Elvin C. Schulte

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This campaign circular discusses range management. The number of birds that can be ranged on an acre will depend upon the type of sod and the fertility of the land. On most land, 250 to 500 pullets can be ranged per acre.

Pullets should be reared on range after geing started in permanent or colony brooder houses. They should be hardened off by letting them run on wire sun porches or gravel yards in front of the brooding houses and then transferred to the shelters on the range.

Cc56-127 Profit Pointers For Poultry: A Management Program For Laying Hens, Elvin C. Schulte

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Building a profitable industry is a joint enterprise of farm producers, feed manufacturers, feed dealers, hatcherymen, educational institutions and allied industries.

This campaign circular discusses the selection, housing, equipment needed, water, feeding, health maintenance, ventilation, litter, lights, culling, record keeping, and marketing for raising poultry.

Cc143 Poultry Profit Pointers: Choosing Your Baby Chicks, Elvin C. Schulte

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The successful poultryman is very careful in buying chicks, and in selecting birds for his breeding or laying flock. Well-bred stock will do quite well even when conditions are poor, but poor stock will not pay under the best conditions.

This campaign circular discusses what to look for when purchasing chicks for your farm. This includes disease-free chicks, and the types and breeds. It also discusses how many to start with, when to start, keeping records, how to feed them, and preparing the brooder house for the arrival of new chicks.