Education Commons^™

Little Data On Whether Charters Make A Difference When College Is The Goal, Erica Jackson

Capstones

Some charters are too young to measure how their students perform. Others collect data in a spotty way. And official statistics make comprehensive comparisons difficult.

Link to capstone project: http://citylimits.org/2016/12/28/little-data-on-whether-charters-make-a-difference-when-college-is-the-goal/

Predictors Of Associate's Degree Completion In Engineering And Engineering Technologies, Lynsey Reys-Nickel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ex post facto study was to describe completers and non-completers of associate’s degree programs in engineering and engineering technologies and determine whether and to what extent completion in these programs is a function of selected student-related variables and institutional variables. Data from the 2004/2009 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS: 04/09) of associate’s degree completers and non-completers in engineering and engineering technologies were accessed and analyzed through PowerStats, a web-based data analysis tool from National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Descriptive data indicated that, proportionally, engineering and engineering technologies completers were mostly White, married, middle income, …

College Student Attitudes Toward Intercollegiate Athletics At Rowan University, Donald Nathanial Parsley

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to (a) analyze undergraduate residential student attitudes towards athletics at Rowan University; (b) discern differences between self-identified student-athletes and non-athletes with respect to athletic programs at Rowan University in regards to resource allocation, corruption, relevance of athletics to the college experience, and academic matters of student-athletes; and (c) examine differences in attitudes of the student sample at Rowan University with previous studies. The survey tool that was utilized consisted of 44 items, which collected demographics and employed a series of Likert-style statements. The subjects consisted of 431 residential, undergraduate students at Rowan University enrolled …

“It’S Like A Mountain”: The Lived Experience Of Homeless College Students, Valerie Karen Ambrose

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of college for homeless students. Using a phenomenological approach, the researcher completed interviews in which participants were asked to describe what college was like for them. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a hermeneutic approach. All interviews were analyzed within the contexts of each other to identify themes. The participants all lived in a world of homelessness that they could never fully ignore. The world of homelessness was grounded in the contexts of the body and other people. An encompassing central theme of “Escaping the Homeless World through …

The Relationship Between Fragile Self-Esteem, Mindfulness, And Hostile Attribution Style, Robyn L. Haertel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study aimed to expand upon existing literature pertaining to self-perception, awareness towards the environment, and related attributions. Specifically, mindfulness and self-esteem, as well as the subset of fragile self-esteem, were examined as predictors of a hostile attribution style (HAS). Additionally, self-esteem and fragile self-esteem were investigated as correlates of mindfulness. Undergraduate students from across the country were invited via social media to participate in this online study. A total of 190 students completed four surveys used for data analyses: the Mindful-Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown & Ryan, 2003), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RES; Rosenberg 1965), Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale (CSWS; …

Making It: The Role Of School-Based Intervention In Shaping Educational Aspirations Expectations And Achievement Among High School Students, Maeve Williams

Honors Theses

In an age when higher education has become increasingly channeled as a means of gaining access to an information-driven economy, it is important to note who does and does not enroll in postsecondary courses. The American ‘achievement’ ideology touts education as an opportunity equalizer, and attributes lack of achievement in this system to individual failing. An extensive body of literature, however, points to systemic barriers which create a gap in achievement, primarily along the social fault lines of early development and family characteristics, peers and community, school environment and locational setting, and the demographic factors of race, socioeconomic class and …

Quantitative Assessment Of The Presence Of A Bubble In The Higher Education Market, Kyle Birnbaum

Honors Theses

The relationship between the value of a college education and the price of the diploma is explored for exuberance in light of the accelerating growth rate of college tuition. With the Great Recession of 2007 still in on the minds of the American public, bubble formation and the subsequent burst is a concern for future economic stability. Discussion on the presence of a higher education bubble continues to increase however it has yet to be quantitatively assessed. This paper utilizes a modified price-dividend ratio, tailored for higher education, implemented in the econometric model for bubble detection developed by Phillips, Wu …

Strategies For Teaching Developmental Mathematics Students At The College Level, Natalie Lynn Kautz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to identify strategies used by effective instructors of developmental mathematics, and to discover the perceptions developmental mathematics students have about these strategies. While there are research projects focusing solely on developmental mathematics achievement, this study fills a need by incorporating views of teaching effectiveness from multiple viewpoints.

In this research project, college-level instructors of developmental mathematics students were recorded on video before, during, and after the teaching of an algebraic concept. Students were given a pre-lesson survey and post-lesson survey to see if there were gains in their learning. Students completed a survey about …

Stress, Coping, And Well Being Of African American College Women: A Grounded Theory Study, Christine R. Hannon

Doctoral Dissertations

African American women are a rapidly growing population on college campuses. Though enrollment trends suggest an increase in African American women’s pursuit of educational attainment, they face unique challenges and obstacles (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). Researchers have noted that stressful life events have detrimental effects on the emotional, physical, and mental well-being of college students (Greer & Brown, 2011; Reynolds, Sneva, & Beehler, 2010; Hall et al., 2006; Larson, 2006; Andrews & Wilding, 2004; Nonis et al., 1998; Shapiro et al., 1998; Cohen & Herbert, 1996; Van Eck et al., 1996). Research focused on the unique challenges of …

Community College Recruiting Through Facebook, Wendy S. Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine the ways in which community college administrators, faculty, staff, counselors, recruiters, and current students report using social networking, specifically, strategies related to recruitment were examined. There was an extensive review of the literature that included background, theoretical foundations, and pertinent research of social media. Along with data collection, there were also analysis reports, conclusions, recommendations for college personnel, and those for research.

The study was conducted to determine if there was a difference in social networking usage for community college recruitment; a difference in the views of the effectiveness as a …

“Just Young Dudes Having Fun”?: Social Media Reactions To The Odu Banner Incident, Ashley Marie Giraldi

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

“Rowdy and fun. Hope your baby girl is ready for a good time…” This statement was on the first of three banners hung from a fraternity home’s balcony on freshman move-in day. The second banner stated, “Freshman drop off here” with an arrow pointing to the front door of the home. The final banner suggested, “Go ahead and drop off mom too…” These banners demonstrated the explicit implementation of rape culture in the university setting. Rape culture includes humor that normalizes violence against women, such as the alleged joke that constituted the ODU banner incident. This research explored societal responses …

Effects Of Improv Comedy On College Students, Colin Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory qualitative study investigated the degree to which participation in college improv comedy affects student development. The study reviews the experiences of students from three different campuses who are involved in improv comedy. Grounded in theories from figured worlds, creativity, student development, memory, cognitive development, identity development, and imagination, this research draws on twelve semi-structured interviews, three group interviews, and three observations of performances. This study answers the following questions: How do college students make meaning of their experience within an improv comedy troupe in relation to academic, social skill, and identity development? What potential does improv comedy have …

You're Kind Of Just Conditioned: Women And Female College Students' Defiance Of Dominant Social Messages In The Development Of Leader Self-Efficacy, Shannon Darracott Howes

Dissertations

Researchers have consistently found that women have lower leader self-efficacy (LSE) than men, despite being equally capable as leaders. This is problematic because LSE is associated with many benefits that support the development and enactment of leadership. Despite the importance of LSE, there is a dearth of research on the construct, particularly in the higher education context. This grounded theory study utilized semi-structured interviews with 12 undergraduate students who identified as females or women to explore how they developed LSE. Findings were related with four core concepts that were woven throughout the various categories of themes that comprised the grounded …

An Exploration Of African American Male College Students’ Perceptions Of Factors That Contribute To Their Academic Success, Yvette N. Daugherty-Brown

ETD Archive

According to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (2012), college degree attainment among African American males is only 16%, as compared to 20% for African American females, and 32% for Caucasian males. A great deal of research and emphasis has been placed on the struggles, challenges and shortcomings relative to African American male educational attainment. However, more work needs to be done to determine the factors that contribute to their academic success.

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the factors that contributed to the academic success of African American male college students that participated in the Baldwin …

Health Science Adminstrators' Perception Of Remediation With Students In The Professional Track Programs, Yvonne Jackson Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Remediation to improve student retention is rapidly becoming an important part of health science programs in higher education. A career college located in the midwestern United States implemented remediation for students to address declining enrollment health science professional-track programs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how remediation was carried out by college instructors and their perceptions of instructional best practices for students in health science programs in the context of current research. The conceptual framework that guided this study was based on constructivism and adult learning theory. Research questions focused on how instructors were carrying out …

The Story Of A Foster Youths Journey Through The Maze Of Higher Education; Implications For Faculty And Staff Throughout The Campus, Lynn Wales

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

As educators and higher education administrators, it is important that we connect to our students. It serves us well to learn the stories behind those beautiful eyes looking back at us, as we support their navigation through the journey of higher education. This thesis, written in a Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) style, will use former foster youth students, as well as at-risk youth, as the population of focus. I will relay my own personal experiences, as a former youth-in-care. I will also explore this kind of alternative upbringing, to draw closer to the conclusions and insights of the struggles and …

Factors That Impact African American High School Equivalency (Hse) Students' Pursuit Of Higher Education, Jamiyla Chandler-Melton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans account for a disproportionate percentage of students who pursue college education in comparison to European Americans. Indeed, a considerable number of African American High School Equivalency (HSE) students are not enrolling in college once they earn their HSE diploma. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine 3 African American HSE students' perceptions about factors that influenced their pursuit of higher education at the selected HSE study site. These 3 students were selected for their inclusion because of their ethnicity, enrollment in the HSE program, academic underpreparedness and lack of pursuit of higher education, and strong …

Adult Learners' And Millennials' Preferred Methods Of Instruction In The College Classroom, January Marie Baker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Today's college students are diverse and include students who differ in chronological age and developmental learning levels. This recent shift in student demographics, including millennials and adult learners, has created a need for instructors to understand and address their students' learning preferences. Traditionally, student feedback has been collected from course evaluation forms after each term ended, thus preventing instructors from incorporating student feedback into their teaching. Accordingly, this narrative qualitative case study was conducted to explore what instructional methods students in a community college developmental reading course preferred to meet their learning preferences and classroom needs. Willingham's interpretation of informational …

The Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of A Campus-Based Culinary Nutrition Program For College Students, Jennifer Mcmullen

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

College students, on average, do not consume enough fruits and vegetables. Contributing to poor eating habits is an overall decline in young adults’ cooking skills as compared to previous decades, with today’s college students often relying on ubiquitous convenience food options. The detriments associated with these food choices are linked to a number of chronic diseases, including obesity. Though programming for college students which incorporates both nutrition education and hands-on cooking opportunities is rare, programs which have been implemented have had positive outcomes associated with increased self-efficacy with cooking and eating healthfully, and improved eating behaviors.

This research utilized a …

The Effect Of True Colors Workshop Participation On Time-To-Degree, Rachel K. Davis

LSU Master's Theses

This study explores the relationship between major changes and time-to-degree at a large, public university in the Southeastern United States. In addition, it analyzes the effects of participation in True Colors workshops (a major decision-making intervention) on major changes and time-to-degree while controlling for competing explanations (i.e., demographic factors, GPA, major). While researchers have often suggested a link between major changes and enrollment beyond four years, they have not often studied this relationship. Moreover, researchers have not studied the effectiveness of True Colors major decision-making workshops on major changes and/or time-to-degree. Existing research establishes the negative effects of extended enrollment …