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Full-Text Articles in Education

Experiences Of African American Students In A Stem-Focused Community Program, Angela Blount Jan 2023

Experiences Of African American Students In A Stem-Focused Community Program, Angela Blount

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States has invested millions of dollars in STEM program initiatives; however, African Americans in STEM career fields are underrepresented. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study aimed to explore the lived experiences of African-American first-year college students from rural communities in a STEM program and whether their experiences influenced their decision to pursue a STEM major in college. Spencer’s phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST) was used to frame the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with eight African American first-year college students from rural communities. Coding analysis involved identifying meaning units and situated narratives …


Experiences Of African American Students In A Stem-Focused Community Program, Angela Blount Jan 2023

Experiences Of African American Students In A Stem-Focused Community Program, Angela Blount

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States has invested millions of dollars in STEM program initiatives; however, African Americans in STEM career fields are underrepresented. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study aimed to explore the lived experiences of African-American first-year college students from rural communities in a STEM program and whether their experiences influenced their decision to pursue a STEM major in college. Spencer’s phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST) was used to frame the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with eight African American first-year college students from rural communities. Coding analysis involved identifying meaning units and situated narratives …


Teacher Beliefs About Providing Instruction For Gifted Students In Inclusive Mathematics Classrooms, Carrie Lynn Kizuka Jan 2019

Teacher Beliefs About Providing Instruction For Gifted Students In Inclusive Mathematics Classrooms, Carrie Lynn Kizuka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Kindergarten - Grade 12 (K-12) students identified as gifted in mathematics in the United States are not being appropriately challenged. Teachers are the most important school-related factor that contributes to student success; however, researchers have not explored the experiences of teachers who work with gifted students in inclusive mathematics classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of K-12 teachers who provide instruction for gifted students in inclusive mathematics classrooms. Bandura's social cognitive theory framed the study. Interview data were collected from 12 teachers who provide mathematics instruction for gifted students in inclusive …


Employee Resistance To Disruptive Technological Change In Higher Education, Barbara Ann Miller Jan 2019

Employee Resistance To Disruptive Technological Change In Higher Education, Barbara Ann Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employees can be resistant to work-based change, specifically when the change is due to disruptive or new technology. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of 20 Swiss-based educational employees adapting to online technologies introduced in their workplaces. Disruptive innovation theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 20 purposely selected participants from 3 Swiss-based higher education campuses. The modified Van Kaam method was used to organize and analyze the data. Four themes from participants' responses were identified: educational employees are not resistant to technology-based change, educational …


African American Christian Senior Pastor's Beliefs About Mental Health Treatment, Trinaa L. Copeland Jan 2019

African American Christian Senior Pastor's Beliefs About Mental Health Treatment, Trinaa L. Copeland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the African American community, the Black Church and its clergy have served as gatekeepers to formal mental health treatment. Little is known about the beliefs of African American Christian senior pastors about mental health treatment and their personal views influencing their counsel to congregants seeking support through the church. This transcendental phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of African American Christian senior pastors in relation to how they understand mental health treatment and provide it to their congregants. The research questions explored three areas: (a) the senior pastors' experiences in rendering mental health treatment, (b) the senior pastors' personal …


Priority Schoolteachers' Experiences Of Professional Development To Improve Student Achievement, Joyce Wiggins Wiggins Jan 2017

Priority Schoolteachers' Experiences Of Professional Development To Improve Student Achievement, Joyce Wiggins Wiggins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The New Jersey 2011 Adequate Yearly Progress report revealed that 53% (n = 75) of state schools that failed to meet standards were put on a 'priority school' list. The 2015 priority school list consisted of 66 schools. In response, New Jersey created Regional Achievement Centers to provide collaborative professional development (PD) for effective instruction in the lowest performing schools. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of priority schoolteachers regarding experiences with past PD initiatives and PD under the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act flexibility waiver focusing on collaborative approaches that include …


School Violence And Teacher Resiliency At A Midwest Elementary/Middle School, Jounice Blackmon Wright Jan 2015

School Violence And Teacher Resiliency At A Midwest Elementary/Middle School, Jounice Blackmon Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate, from the perspective of teachers, the possible effect of school violence on teacher resiliency. School violence has been studied with respect to student behavior and academic success, as well as socioeconomic influences, but not with respect to teacher resiliency, as expressed by teachers themselves. Resiliency theory was the conceptual framework. Participants were all teachers of Grades 2-8 at an elementary/middle school in the Midwest. Twelve in-depth interviews were transcribed into text data and analyzed for common themes. Using NVivo, Version 10, I was able to more easily manage the volumes of …


Serious Fun: The Perceived Influences Of Improvisational Acting On Community College Students, Ruth H. Yamamoto Jan 2015

Serious Fun: The Perceived Influences Of Improvisational Acting On Community College Students, Ruth H. Yamamoto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research in extracurricular activities and arts education demonstrate how experiences in those areas contribute to the well-being and ongoing development of students in higher education. Although practiced and performed across the United States, theatrical improvisation, as an art form or extracurricular activity, lacks investigation within the context of higher education. Without an understanding from the student perspective, higher educational stakeholders miss an opportunity to incorporate experiences that address the institutions' mission and learning goals or worse, inadvertently produce student disenfranchisement. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the experience of improvisational acting training, practice, and performance …