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 …

Perspectives Of Occupational Therapy Graduates On Sentinel Events During Transitions To Practice: A Phenomenographic Study, Nileththi Achini De Silva, Eleanor Furtado, Anne W. Hunt

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Research suggests new occupational therapists face many positive and negative experiences during their transition from student to therapist. Current research lacks information regarding sentinel events that occur during this shift. An exploration of sentinel events as interpreted through the life course perspective may inform how to support the transition to occupational therapist. The purpose of this study is to (a) determine sentinel events that occur during the transition to practice for new occupational therapists and (b) the impact of these events. A phenomenographic approach guided a semi-structured interview with 14 recent occupational therapy graduates. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic …

Impact Of Reasonable Accommodations On Disabled Student–Veteran Higher Educational Achievement, Michael A. Buoniconti

Doctoral Dissertations

Objectives: The purpose of this study was (a) to investigate the degree to which reasonable accommodations affected the educational achievement (graduation and GPA) of U.S. Student–Veterans with military service–connected disabilities and (b) to categorize the accommodations according to impact (positive, mixed, none, and negative). Research Design: Archival and survey data were used to investigate whether there was a relationship between U.S. Student-Veteran level of military service–connected disability, Student-Veteran utilization of reasonable accommodations support, and Student-Veteran higher educational achievement. Two variables (a) U.S. Student-Veteran military service–connected disability severity rating (both continuous and categorical) and (b) U.S. Student-Veteran utilization of reasonable accommodations …

Help Or Hindrance: Latinx College Graduates’ From Stem Majors Perceptions Of University Culture Following Vincent Tinto’S Theoretical Framework Of Student Persistence, Carmen Gonzalez, Carmen Lucia Gonzalez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how Latinx college graduates who have achieved STEM degrees perceive the culture of their university and the STEM program they were enrolled in as supporting or not supporting a Latinx college student’s persistence to graduation.

Methodology: A qualitative phenomenological approach was the methodology selected for this study. This phenomenological research captured and described the lived experiences of study participants through interviews and artifacts.

Findings: The findings of this research illustrate (a) Research participants all perceived that creating relationships with STEM program faculty was important in supporting them toward degree completion, …

Self-Efficacy, Locus Of Control, And Their Effect On Online Returning Students' Graduation, Matthew Dean Greene

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to understand the factors that affect returning students' ability to complete their degrees through online degree programs. Logistic regression was used to determine which factors had a significant relationship with persistence to graduation and how they contributed to the odds of students graduating. The findings show that academic locus of control and academic self-efficacy had a significant positive relationship with returning student persistence to graduation, with the locus of control contributing to the odds of graduation more than self-efficacy. Additionally, the amount of time between the student's initial dropout and subsequent return to complete …

Confidence For Graduation, Tiffany Pickett, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

“Fake it until you make it.” While a common phrase in the leadership/business management advice genre, it’s genuinely how I survived my freshman year as a first-generation college student.

I smiled. I nodded. I tried to exude the confidence that I knew exactly what I was doing, but in reality, to quote Michael Scott from “The Office”: “I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do.” I would quietly ask questions to friends I could trust or pray that another classmate asked the question I wanted to ask in …

Mentorship Beyond Graduation, Gayla Parker, Bailey Buettner, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

My grandmother could make the best biscuits ever over an open fire. My dad could tune a guitar to perfect pitch without a tuner. Those were just a few of the many skills they taught me. But there was one skill they could not teach me: navigating the world of higher education.

As smart and gifted as they were, high school graduation was not a part of their stories, much less college. When I graduated from high school, they were thrilled. They never imagined there would be multiple graduations to follow.

The Secret To Graduation, Lisa Sells, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

My maternal grandparents grew up in the Depression-era poverty that surrounded the lumber mills around Ashdown, Ark. When World War II ended, and my grandfather came home from the front lines in Europe, there was no work in the Texarkana area. He and his young family moved to northeastern Oklahoma where he found a job at the newly opened BF Goodrich tire factory.

And so it is that my story starts in Commerce, Okla., and not Ashdown, Ark.

The Journey To Graduation, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

This year marks my fourth and final year of college. It seems just like yesterday I was walking up the stairs of Frances Crawford Hall, too many bags in hand, to embark on my educational journey.

I grew up knowing I wanted to pursue a higher education to finish what my parents started. I didn’t know where and how to start my journey, but I leaned into my advisor, Dr. Deborah Root, who answered every question, met every need and solved every problem because she wanted to see me succeed.

Chacahoula 2023, Tram Phan, Mallory Kaul, Alayna Pellegrin

Chacahoula

WE GROW, WE DEVELOP, WE THRIVE:

The 2023 issue of Chacahoula includes December 2022 and May 2023 graduating classes, as well as stunning photography of Week of Welcome, Homecoming, Mardi Gras, and Spring Fever. With features covering notable students, faculty, and staff, this year's time capsule beautifully preserves an academic year in the life of the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Commencement 2023, Taylor University

Commencement

The program of the 2023 Annual Commencement of Taylor University, May 20, 2023.

Swosu Spring 2023 Convocation, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Graduation Programs

This is the program for the SWOSU Spring 2023 Convocation Exercises, held at Milam Stadum on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at 10:00. Opening Remarks were presented by President Diana Lovell.

Commencement Program 2023, Olivet Nazarene University

Commencement Programs

The 110th annual commencement program of Olivet Nazarene College, Bourbonnais, IL, May 5 & 6, 2023.

Selling Graduation: Higher Education And The Loaning Of Liberation, Annie Pocklington, Elizabeth J. Flanagan, Christopher Bodenheimer Knaus

Essays in Education

While the costs to attend college continue to rise exponentially, a bachelor’s degree is held up as required for economic stability within the U.S. and across the globe. With drastic disparities in earning potentials after graduation reduced by racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ableism, and related structural disparities, the value of a degree continues to be questioned, especially for historically marginalized communities. As the loan industrial complex continues to profit off of students, President Biden has offered $10,000 in student loan relief for some borrowers, though this action has been blocked by federal courts and is currently on hold. Whether Biden’s …

New Jersey Community Colleges: Is There A Relationship Between Part Time Faculty And Student Success?, Gerald Maxmilian Slusher

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing number of part time instructors in the community college professorate combined with low student retention and graduation rates makes research into part time faculty and student success highly germane. My dissertation investigated if higher ratios of adjunct faculty were related to student retention, certificate/degree attainment, and transfer without a credential while accounting for institutional, student body, and county characteristics. The dissertation was limited to New Jersey community colleges to eliminate differences in state policies. The sector was examined over 12 academic years yielding 228 data points arrayed into three panel models to run 12 regressions.

Using results from …

The Lived Experiences Of First-Generation Black Male Graduates Who Participated In A Black Male Initiative Program, Rah'shad Ra'hyim Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of first-generation Black male graduates who participated in a Black male initiative in the Southeast region of the United States. The theory guiding this study is Astin’s theory of student involvement. In support of the theory guiding this study, the central research question for the study is What are the lived experiences of first-generation Black male college graduates who participated in Black male initiatives? This research study will utilize the phenomenological design, which will consist of 10-12 first-generation Black male graduates who were involved in a Black …

Education Gender Gaps In The Mountain West, 2022, Miguel Soriano Ralston, Lana Kojoian, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet examines data from the Brookings Institution publication “Boys Left Behind: Education Gender Gaps Across the U.S.” authored by Brookings Senior Fellow Richard V. Reeves and Research Analyst Ember Smith. The original report includes data on gender gaps in college degree attainment, high school graduation rates, and test scores throughout the U.S. This fact sheet highlights the percentage of women and men with college degrees, percentage of women and men graduating on time, Math and English test score gender gaps, and rankings of education gender gaps in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and …

An Examination Of Pell Grant Recipient Graduation Rates And Institutional Expenditures At Public Baccalaureate Institutions, Lamont Alphonso Sellers

Dissertations and Theses

The present study examines the differences between public baccalaureate institutional expenditures and Pell Grant recipient graduation rates at high and low Pell Grant recipient graduating institutions. IPEDS data were analyzed, including instructional, academic support, student services, institutional support, and Pell Grant recipient 6-year graduation rates from the 2018 academic reporting year. Results from a Mann-Whitney U test compare 99 institutions divided into a high graduation rate group (N_high=40) and a low graduation group (N_low=59). The analysis showed there are mean rank differences between the groups that are statistically significant. These results support the need for further study to make sense …

Swosu Fall 2022 Convocation, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Graduation Programs

This is the program for the SWOSU Fall 2022 Convocation Exercises, held at the Pioneer Cellular Events Center on Friday, December 16, 2022, at 6:00 pm. Opening Remarks were presented by President Diana Lovell.

Easing The Middle To High School Transition: An Evaluation Of The Gold Program, Leilani Shive

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Some effective components of effective transition programs include using a freshman academy or school-within-a-school model, teacher and peer mentoring and summer bridge programs. This study analyzed the effectiveness of the Gold Program, a middle to high school transition program for at-risk youth in a large urban high school in the southwestern United States. This program incorporated those components in addition to several others, such as: parent involvement, career and technical education, blended learning, behavior interventions, and Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC). Individual components of the Gold Program were chosen to meet the four S’s of Schlossberg’s transition …

Swosu To Host First Ever Fall Commencement, Kimberly Lippencott, Weatherford Daily News, Phillip Fitzsimmons

Faculty Articles & Research

This is an article about SWOSU's first-ever fall commencement, published in the Nov. 30, 2022 issue of Weatherford Daily News, and features an interview from SWOSU Archivist and Special Collections Librarian Phillip Fitzsimmons.

Firefighter Trainee Fitness, Reasons For Academy Release, And Predictive Capabilities Of Fitness Tests, Robert G. Lockie, Fernando Montes, Robin (Rob) Marc Orr, J. Jay Dawes

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Firefighter trainees need a level of fitness to be admitted to and complete a training academy. Fitness could indicate a trainee’s likelihood of graduation. PURPOSE: Determine fitness differences between trainees who graduated (GRAD) or were released due to a) injury (RELI), b) skills test performance failures (RELP), or c) resignation (RELR); and whether fitness predicted graduation or academy release. METHODS: Data from an occupational physical ability test (OPAT) for 686 trainees were analyzed, including: Illinois agility test; push-ups; pull-ups; leg tucks; estimated maximal aerobic capacity (V̇O_2max) from the multistage fitness test; backwards overhead 4.54-kg medicine ball …

A Predictive Model Of Completion At Mississippi’S Community Colleges, Richard Baker

Dissertations

In the 2020 American presidential election and throughout the time since, the discussion of free community college continues to raise its head in the present political landscape in the United States. As the recognition of the contribution of community colleges to the overall educational level of the country grows, increased focus is going to be placed on how efficient and effective these two-year institutions are.

This research expands the body of knowledge by combining Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) and Astin’s Input-Environment-Output (IEO) model into an educational production function as defined by Bowles (1970). Neither RDT nor IEO is complete on …

Experiences With Technology Among Hispanic High School Graduates: A Phenomenological Study, Robert Donaldson Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe Hispanic high school graduates’ experiences with access to technology in a southeastern suburban area near Atlanta, Georgia. Although there is research that focuses on factors that lead to Hispanics graduating from or dropping out of high school, the existing research has not focused on the experiences with technology among Hispanic high school graduates. The following research question guided this study: What are the described experiences with access to technology among Hispanic high school graduates near Atlanta, Georgia? Kearsley and Shneiderman’s engagement theory (1998) and Brown, Collins, and Duguid’s situated cognition …

Commencement 2022 (Full Program), Taylor University

Commencement

The full program of the 2022 Annual Commencement of Taylor University, May 21 2022.

Commencement 2022 (Abbreviated Program), Taylor University

Commencement

The abbreviated program of the 2022 Annual Commencement of Taylor University, May 21, 2022.

Getting To Where You Want To Go: 2022 Commencement Address, Ben R. Sells, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Last academic year, Ouachita was one of the few universities to provide a fully in-person education. As we prepared for this year, we challenged ourselves to provide all the benefits of a traditional campus experience.In this effort to provide the typical in the least typical of times, we called on our seniors—the only class who remembered a year without COVID—to restore and revive the traditions that make Ouachita, Ouachita. You, our seniors, rose to the occasion, and I will forever be grateful for you, for the leadership you demonstrated and the example you set.

The Interplay Of Aggregate Faculty Hiring, Aggregate Faculty Retention And Student Graduation At Community Colleges In The United States, Jared Burns

Theses and Dissertations

This research study was conducted to determine if there was a difference in community college graduation rates based on aggregate faculty hires, aggregate faculty retention and community college size. The study employed a non-experimental quantitative research design with three independent variables (aggregate faculty new hires, aggregate faculty retention and community college size) and one dependent variable (graduation rate).

The study utilized a one way ANOVA, independent t test, and factorial ANOVA to analyze differences in graduation rates based on aggregate faculty new hires, aggregate faculty retention, and community college size. Results of the one way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences …

Swosu One Hundred Eighteenth Annual Spring Convocation, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Graduation Programs

This is the program for the SWOSU One Hundred Eighteenth Annual Spring Convocation Exercises, held at the Pioneer Cellular Events Center on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Opening Remarks were presented by President Diana Lovell.

2022 Commencement Ceremonies For Nova Southeastern University, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.