Education Commons^™

Decision Utility Of Productivity Indicators At The Campus Level, Ryan Sheffield Otto

Doctoral Dissertations

In today’s higher education environment, costs are increasing, tuition is increasing, subsidies are decreasing, student attrition is extensive, and global competition is increasing. These and other internal and external factors in higher education have created a mounting interest in productivity indicators, the ratio of outputs divided by inputs (Hanushek, 2007; Harris, 2010; Levin, 1993; Massy, 2011; Massy & Wilger, 1992; NCHEMS, 2010; Vedder, 2004). Leaders in higher education as well as external governing bodies are increasingly using productivity indicators to create systems of transparency and accountability. Despite the increased focus on productivity and productivity indicators, little has been done to …

A Comparison Of Perceptions And Implementation Of Shared Governance Between American And Chinese Higher-Education Institutions, Dianyu Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the status of institutional stakeholders’ perceptions and application of shared governance on an American higher education campus and a counterpart in China and determine if there were differences among the groups of stakeholders both within and between the institutions. A 2-inventory researcher-developed survey of shared governance was used to measure each factor.

The data analysis found significant differences among the 4 categories of participants at the Chinese institution. For the General Acceptance dimension of the Perceptions of Shared Governance Inventory (PSGI) the Chinese staff members reported significantly higher scores than all …

The Voices Of Higher Education Service-Learning Directors: A Qualitative Inductive Analysis, Kelsey Woodard

Dissertations

This research explored issues surrounding service-learning directors (SLDs) within higher education institutions, including who they are, how they became SLDs, and what they experience in the role. Qualitative data were drawn from in-depth interviews of 11 SLDs, as well as review of their vitaes. A qualitative inductive analysis was conducted in which important patterns, themes, and interrelationships that emerged from the data were coded into a category system of major themes and subthemes.

Data analysis revealed the following major themes: (1.0): all the SLDs came from various helping profession backgrounds, with interesting journeys to become a SLD; (2.0) many SLD’s …

Measuring Performance Excellence: Key Performance Indicators For Institutions Accepted Into The Academic Quality Improvement Program (Aqip), Paul J. Ballard

Dissertations

Given growing interest in accountability and outcomes, the North Central Association's Higher Learning Commission developed a new path for accreditation, the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). The goal is to infuse continuous improvement and quality in the culture of higher education, and to blend traditional accreditation with the philosophy and techniques of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. Yet, little is known about the key performance indicators (KPI) that colleges and universities are using to improve their quality and continuous improvement processes.

To this end, my research involved a content analysis of the Systems Portfolios submitted for accreditation by 34 purposefully …

Experiences And Expectations Of An African American Male Veteran Student In Higher Education, Gladys S. Cole-Morton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill an increasing number of veterans and military students are seeking to complete degrees online and through enrollment at campuses across the nation (Brown 2011). The increased number of military students in postsecondary education settings presents challenges and opportunities for both the veteran student and institution of higher education. Military students also referred to as veteran students are choosing to pursue postsecondary education for occupational and employment opportunities, personal growth and enrichment, and to use their Post-9/11 GI education benefits. It is expected that military personnel with past military service in Afghanistan and Iraq will become …

Not A Hearing Loss, A Deaf Gain: Power, Self-Naming, And The Deaf Community, David J. Thomas

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Self-naming has long stood as the primary assertion of power for disenfranchised communities in the western world. While person first language (e.g. person who is deaf) has been the preferred language of disability and disability services for the last 20 years, members of the Deaf community have asserted their cultural capital, and indeed, their Deafhood, or defining the experience of being ‘deaf in the world’, through the power of self-naming. This research examines attitudes toward language, self-naming, and disability in the Deaf community and seeks to move toward a more attentive, sensitive, and responsive language policy in the academy.

Historically, …

Quality By Association Across North-South Divides: United States Accreditation Of Mexican Institutions Of Higher Education, Gerardo Blanco Ramírez

Open Access Dissertations

Institutional accreditation in higher education presents a dual reality: Accreditation is intended to hold colleges and universities accountable through external evaluation and, at the same time, accreditation constitutes an opportunity for higher education leaders to assess, improve, and communicate the quality of their undertakings. In an increasingly global field of higher education, quality practices become diffused across national boundaries. U.S. institutional accreditation is one of the quality practices embraced around the world; institutions of higher education, particularly in the Global South, aspire to obtain U.S. institutional accreditation. While important, this phenomenon has gone largely unexamined in research. This study follows …

Entrepreneurial Transformation Of The School Of Education At One Midwestern Public University: A Case Study, Inna Molitoris

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Globalization and the rapidly changing market cause universities to seek new and creative ways to survive and succeed. The term entrepreneurial university is an ideological umbrella for those higher education institutions that are attempting to fully participate in the social and economic life of society. This qualitative study was aimed to investigate the entrepreneurial transformation at the departments of the School of Education at one Midwestern large public comprehensive university. The researcher sought to better understand the growth of the programs and services at the organization and how entrepreneurial concepts such as entrepreneurial behavior, culture, entrepreneurial products, creativity, innovations, and …

A New Field Of Dreams: A Study Of The Writing Major, T J Geiger

Writing Program – Dissertations

Within Writing Studies, the tension between pedagogy and theory, between teaching and disciplinary status receives much commentary. This dissertation explores that tension within the context of the undergraduate Writing major. I begin by reviewing scholarship about advanced composition, advanced Writing, and the Writing major. I read this literature in light of concerns about student subjectivity, authorship, and disciplinary participation. Through that reading, I explore the conflicted status of the student subject imagined within this literature. The subject I discern contains elements of what Susan Miller describes as the normative subject of composition as well as elements of a revised and …

Narratives Of Former Foster Youth In Higher Education, Kathleen Brien Douthat

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to learn about the experiences of former foster youth in higher education. Nationwide, 26,547 youth emancipate from foster care each year. Former foster youth who continue with education beyond high school may elect to receive supportive services through the state’s independent living program. Although these services are intended to provide the necessary support while the youth completes a post-secondary degree program, research has shown that fewer former foster youth enter college and complete a degree than their non-former foster youth peers. Further, there has been very little research that explores firsthand experiences of …

The Essential Value Of Lgbt Resource Centers, Matthew Raymond Damschroder

Theses and Dissertations

Through the voices and experiences of LGBTQ+ students on three campuses, this study provides evidence of the essential value of LGBT Centers as they advocate for and empower LGBTQ+ students. Grounded in theories of college student development, identity development, and Queer theory, the qualitative study draws on 35 semi-structured interviews with students and staff involved with LGBT Centers on three campuses that broadly reflect the diversity of higher education in the United States. In particular, the study answers the following questions: What are historical and current contexts of LGBT Centers? What is the nature of campus climate contexts for LGBTQ+ …

Perceptions Of Political, Academic, And Corporate Leaders: Higher Education Accountability In Georgia, Leslie Gene Fout

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine Georgia political, academic, and corporate leaders’ perceptions of higher education accountability. A case study design was used to gain in-depth information. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 23 participants.

The findings of the study included the following:

1. Nearly every participant believed the mission and purpose higher education involved providing students with the skills and abilities needed to obtain gainful employment, and thereby make a positive impact on the economic development of the state of Georgia.
2. Approximately half of the participants believed higher education should cultivate an engaged citizenry.
3. No consensus was …

Exploring The Use Of Electronic Mobile Technologies Among Distance Learners In Rural Communities For Safe And Disruptive Learning, Gomang Seratwa Ntloedibe-Kuswani

Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation - Dissertations

Several studies indicated the potential of electronic mobile technologies in reaching (safe learning) under-served communities and engaging (disruptive learning) disadvantaged peoples affording them learning experiences. However, the potential benefits of (electronic mobile learning) e-mobile learning have not been well understood from the contexts of the under-served, disadvantaged, and marginalized groups in higher education of developing economies. The purpose of this study was to conduct an exploratory investigative context analysis of how current uses and impressions of electronic mobile technologies among distance learners in rural communities of Botswana can inform instructional design strategies for creating more powerful, safe and disruptive distance …

Liberal Arts Colleges During The Great Recession: Examining Organizational Adaptation And Institutional Change, Ashlie Junot Hilbun

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Liberal arts colleges strived to adapt to environmental shifts at the turn of the twenty-first century and remain relevant in American society while the Great Recession of 2007 compounded their challenges and created new fiscal and enrollment burdens, which forced these institutions to confront paradigm-changing circumstances. In an effort to advance the historical perspective of liberal arts colleges and expand the organizational adaptation research base, the current study aimed to understand how private liberal arts colleges adapted during the Great Recession of 2007 by examining institutional changes at three private liberal arts colleges and their effects on the institutions' operations. …

Virtual High School Graduates: A Phenomenological Study Investigating Transitions To Postsecondary Environments, Emily Green

All Dissertations

As education systems continue to grow and evolve with new advancements in technology, so do methods of instruction. Technological advancements have helped to further distributed learning, making instruction available to students in various geographic locations and times. Virtual secondary education is a form of distributed learning where secondary students complete their degrees fully online, outside of a brick-and-mortar school. There is a lack of information regarding the experiences of these students as they transition to traditional colleges and universities after attending virtual high schools.
This study sought to describe the experiences of virtual high school graduates as they transition to …

An Assessment Of Diversity Competence Among College Seniors: An Exploratory Study, Lung-Chiuan Chiang

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In our increasingly diverse global workforce, both employers and institutions of higher learning want to know if colleges and universities equip their students with adequate cultural competence skills. Reliable instruments to measure cultural competence levels for a general student body are not widely available, however. In this report, a self-developed 33-item instrument was designed to assess college seniors’ cultural competence levels, including sub-scales for cultural awareness and cultural knowledge. An expert panel was selected to establish content validity. A pilot study was conducted to improve the design of survey format. The Cronbach’s alpha was .770 according to the reliability test. …

Influences Of An Honors Program On Students At A Faith-Based University: A Qualitative Study, Carla Gaines

Master of Education Research Theses

American colleges and universities, including faith-based institutions, continue to actively recruit gifted college students through educational opportunities such as honors programs. Other research also indicates that the college campus context, challenging academic experiences, and diverse social interactions can have varying effects on students’ psychosocial development. Understanding the influences of these multiple factors on honors students can potentially provide insights into the effectiveness of these programs and their objectives. Using a qualitative research design, this study investigated the experiences and perceptions of honors students at a faith-based university. The participants indicated that through the honors program they were encouraged to pursue …

Work-Life Balance For Administrators In The Academy: Under Ideal Worker Pressure, Kelly E. Wilk

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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A Quantitative Study Of Persistence Factors For First-Year Students At Urban And Residential Universities, Abigail Parsons Shiban

ETD Archive

Persistence from the first to second year of college can be challenging for students at urban institutions given that they face added pressures and unique situations preventing them from persisting beyond the first year of higher education. While first-year persistence in higher education has been investigated, very little formal research exists on persistence at urban institutions. To bridge this gap, a quantitative analysis of 395 students at two urban and two residential four-year public institutions in Ohio was conducted using the Social Integration and Persistence Intentions Scale (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1980) while exploring comprehensive factors such as students' pre-college and …

Assessing The Readiness Of Higher Education To Instruct And Support Students With Asperger's Disorder, L. Marc Ellison

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explores the current ability of higher education to effectively educate and support college students diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder. As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders increased dramatically during the past decade, it is estimated that tens of thousands of individuals diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder are preparing to enter colleges and universities in the United States. Emerging research details specific service systems and resources necessary to effectively educate and support college students with Asperger’s Disorder. Public, four-year institutions of higher education were surveyed (N=578) to assess their current readiness to use identified best-practice methods of support with this student …

A Mixed Methods Examination Of Structural Bigenderism And The Consequences For Transgender And Gender Variant People, Kristie Lynn Seelman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For years, transgender activists and their allies have spoken out about the oppression that transgender and gender non-conforming people experience in relation to societal systems and institutions, due to policies and practices that do not acknowledge non-binary experiences of gender, that do not recognize that one's gender may change over time or may not match cultural expectations for gender expression, and that punish and discriminate against trans people (Gilbert, 2009; Lombardi & Davis, 2006; Markman, 2011; Spade, 2006; WWRC, 2010). Scholars have called for human services professionals and researchers to critique the failures of institutions in society (and the people …

Choosing Home: International Pushes And Pulls For Malaysian Alumni Of U.S. Graduate Programs, Pauline Chhooi

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Malaysians’ journeys to pursue graduate education in the U.S. generate more than just degree attainment. This dissertation looks at how experiences in the U.S., both in graduate school and in the workplace, influenced highly educated Malaysians, especially in their exploration of push and pull factors that influence their decisions to remain in the U.S. or to return to Malaysia. This study focuses on twenty-two participants comprised of those who have returned to Malaysia, those who are working in the U.S. on non-immigrant visas, those who became Permanent Residents and those who are naturalized U.S. citizens.

The first major finding demonstrates …

The Perspectives Of Graduate Students With Visual Disabilities: A Heuristic Case Study, Luis Perez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concept of liminality describes the experiences of individuals who live "between and betwixt" as a result of their indeterminate status in society. This concept seems appropriate to describe the experiences of people who live with vision loss, because we simultaneously belong to two social or cultural groups. On the one hand we must navigate the mainstream society in which we live day to day, which we are often able to do with the vision we have left. On the other hand, our disability sets us apart from that mainstream society. This idea of living in "between and betwixt" the …

The Organizational Realities Of Student Affairs: A Political Perspective, Jeremiah B. Shinn

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the organizational functions of studentaffairs at Indiana University and to understand the nature of the conflict between studentaffairs and the larger organization. This study utilized the case-study research design. Much of the data collected and analyzed during this case study were of a historical nature. Both primary and secondary sources were utilized. The conceptual framework that informed this study and that this study served to advance is drawn from classic organization theory, specifically contingency theory, which argues that there is no one best way to organize (Galbraith, 1973; Parsons, 1960; Scott, 2003; …

Socially Responsible Leadership Capacity Development: Predictors Among African American/ Black Students At Historically Black Colleges And Universities And Predominantly White Institutions, Michael R. Beazley

Dissertations

This study examined the capacity and predictors of socially responsible leadership among African American/ Black college students at HBCUs and PWIs using data from the Multi-institutional Study of Leadership. An independent sample t-test was used to test the hypothesis that African American/ Black students at HBCUs would have higher leadership capacity. Two hierarchical multiple regressions were calculated to address the second hypothesis that predictors would vary by institution type. No significant differences were found in leadership capacity between African American/ Black students and regression models, which explained 53-55% of the variance, showed that most predictors were mutual.

This study adds …

Toward An Ideal Of Moral And Democratic Education: Afro-Creoles And Straight University In Reconstruction New Orleans, 1862-1896, Dana C. Hart

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Straight University emerged as an integrated higher education institution in New Orleans in 1870 and promoted education and training for young men and women, irrespective of race, gender, or ethnicity. Named after its generous patron, Seymour Straight, the university emerged as a space for community and egalitarianism at a time when the assertion of emancipation and civil rights redefined how people lived together in reconstructing a “New South.” Education represented an archetype to shape the future direction of Southern society in a meaningful and tangible way, and Straight University represented this ideal at its founding. The university also became a …

An Analysis Of University Tv Spots Aired During National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Football Games, Daniel Alford Roberts

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Public universities who participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision produce and air university TV spots during televised college football games. The purpose of this research was to analyze TV spots of public universities who participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and determine if university TV spots were successful based on the official theme from the university and how the viewing audience perceived the university TV spot. This research used a qualitative paradigm that involved two phases: Phase I was a content analysis followed by Phase II, …

Organizational Culture As A Function Of Institutional Type In Higher Education, Jason Alexis Kaufman

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether organizational culture varies as a function of institutional type in higher education, and to identify whether there exists congruence between organizational culture type and leader behavior. Utilizing the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) developed by Cameron and Quinn (2011), data were collected from a sample of academic deans (n = 84) representing the colleges and universities across five states of the Upper Midwest. The results indicated a general trend toward clan cultures and congruent leader behavior for all institutional types (i.e., associate's colleges, baccalaureate colleges, master's colleges and universities, and …

An Analysis Of The Current Use And Future Intentions To Use Mobile Learning Strategies Among Full-Time Community College Faculty, Stephanie Denise Frazier

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined how full-time community college faculty members in southern states use mobile learning (m-Learning) strategies as tools for student engagement. Specifically, research questions were designed to measure the current use of six key m-Learning strategies: augmented reality, file/resource sharing, gaming/simulation, reference/research applications, social media, and text messaging. This study also probed into faculty attitudes and beliefs in four areas: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine existing relationships between these four determinants and the intentions of faculty members to use m-Learning strategies in the forthcoming academic year. Additionally, research …

Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Of Environmental Justice In Higher Education, Marjorie M. Nussbaum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that issues of environmental justice are not being routinely included in the curriculum of the K-12 classroom and that teachers in those grades do not feel prepared to teach it. Likewise, little has been written about the addition of these topics to higher education coursework, leaving the question of inclusion at this level of education as well. This apparent lacuna may point to at least one reason why K-12 teachers are neither knowledgeable about environmental justice nor prepared to teach it. To discover the current state of inclusion in higher education, a mixed methods study was conducted to …