Education Commons^™

Empowering The Nagi (Spirit): A Phenomenological Asset-Based Study Of The Success Stories And Lived Experiences Of Native American College Graduates, Kaylynn Marie Two Bulls

Dissertations and Theses

Helping Native American college students find their purpose and develop their holistic identity will help them be successful in college and in their professional careers. In this study the structural framework of the interview questions are based on Chickering and Reisser’s (1993) student identity development theory which includes seven vectors. Along with Chickering’s student development theory, the Woope Sakowin, seven laws were incorporated into this study. The seven laws align with Chickering’s seven vectors to develop a holistic identity. An interesting component of Chickering’s seven vectors is they do not occur in a step-by-step manner, but rather are seen as …

Stories Of Midwest Higher Education Public Safety Administrators, The Clery Act, And Keeping Campuses Safe, Bryant Jackson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this narrative inquiry qualitative analysis study is to examine the lived experiences of Midwest higher education public safety administrators regarding the Clery Act. Since 1990 when the Clery Act became law, higher education public safety administrators have been required to implement this law at their institutions. While research on the Clery Act has been limited, it is critical to examine the lived experiences of those tasked with its implementation and compliance. Three themes were identified when examining the lived experiences of the Midwest public safety administrators experiences with the Clery Act. The first theme explored overall impressions …

Promoting Well-Being Among Intercollegiate Student-Athletes: A Gratitude Intervention Using Positive Psychology, Laura Kruger

Dissertations and Theses

Intercollegiate student-athletes face rising stress and pressures which challenge their well-being and mental health, and sometimes with alarming concerns. Over the years, supportive services and resources specifically available to student-athletes have not evolved at the same pace as student-athlete needs. Also, barriers and stigmas hinder student-athletes from readily accessing supportive mental health services. The high stress of student-athletes can contribute to the development of negative mental health symptoms and impairs positive well-being. Evidence supports how outreach initiatives help student-athletes. Positive psychology, including gratitude as a positive psychological state, has shown benefits to well-being. This experimental study design researched if the …

Capstone Projects In Education: Learning The Research Story, Kim Chappell, Greg Voykhansky J.D., Ph.D.

All Open Educational Resources

This book is designed to facilitate understanding of education research and guide the development and the writing of a capstone project. In education, like other social sciences, we are investigating issues directly involving or influencing humans. Research involving humans can be a complex and awkward endeavor. However, if we view this endeavor through the lens of a research story, we find a familiar genre we can relate to and understand. This concise, open textbook weaves the story of a cat throughout to explain the components of typical education capstone projects.

Identifying Barriers To The Longevity Of Athletic Coaching: A Case Study Of A National Association Of Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Ross Douma

Dissertations and Theses

Significant research regarding longevity existed for many professions. However, very little research was conducted on longevity for small college athletic coaches. This case study sought to identify barriers that affected athletic coaches who served at small colleges in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Participants in this study were current head athletic coaches in the GPAC with at least 15 years of experience. The research concluded that each of the participants in the study was a transformational leader who desired to impact and influence young people beyond their sport. This study of eight athletic coaches revealed themes pertinent to coaching …

Academic Advisors’ Perceptions, Knowledge, And Attitudes Toward Working With Students Experiencing Substance Use Concerns, Amy Orr

Dissertations and Theses

Academic advisors have played an essential role within higher education institutions. Not only did academic advisors assist students in selecting courses/scheduling, but advisors could also help address students' substance use concerns. These concerns could be a factor preventing students from graduating. Students with substance use concerns who did not receive adequate services were barred from reaching their full potential in life and academics, receiving lower grades, and suffering from higher dropout rates than other students. Thus, it was vital for advisors to have the skills to help students with substance use concerns or refer them for additional services. Intrusive advising …

Developmentally Appropriate And Evidence Based Approaches For Improving Attention In Kindergarteners, Alana Brown

A with Honors Projects

This project examines evidence based practices to improve the attention of kindergarteners in the classroom based on development in three domains: cognitive, social emotional, and physical. It describes scientifically based practices in contrast with popular practices, or fads, that have little or no evidence of success in improving attention. The findings reported here provide information that teachers can use to assess whether classroom techniques use developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) to improve the attention of children.

Positive Behavior Intervention And Supports (Pbis): Improving Staff Buy-In With Pbis In A Rural District In The Midwest, Christena Schultz

Dissertations and Theses

Many schools have implemented School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to address student behavior and social-emotional issues. Historically, the implementation of PBIS has been most prominent at the elementary level; however, more secondary schools have implemented PBIS in the past few years. Staff buy-in of PBIS at the secondary level proved more challenging because of secondary school barriers. This improvement science study used qualitative research to explore what factors contributed to or hindered staff buy-in of PBIS and whether transformational leadership improved buy-in. Participants included seven staff at BEMHS. Qualitative data was derived from a focus group and themes …

Micro Credentialing For Teachers: A Case Study In Personalized Professional Development, Brad John Berens

Dissertations and Theses

Professional development for teachers must evolve to provide a personalized approach to better meet the needs of the individual. Micro-credentialing is one way to provide teachers with personalized professional development. This case study explores the implementation of a micro-credentialing course in one school district. The district selected a company that provides micro-credential courses nationwide. The theoretical framework for the study is Andragogy, the theory of adult learning (Knowles, 1984). The objective of the study is to determine to what extent micro-credentialing meets the needs of teachers, and to what extent it is effective professional development. Data for this qualitative study …

Information Technology Security Concerns For University Workforce And Supporting Infrastructure During A Pandemic, Garrett Stevens

Dissertations and Theses

Faculty and staff working from home during the COVID pandemic were presented with new challenges in adapting to emergency remote teaching, as well as new and expanded cyber security threats. Changes to course delivery, remote access from public locations, and the potential of faculty and staff storing confidential educational records on university-issued devices, and potentially personally owned devices, made faculty and staff prime targets of malicious attackers. Information technology departments were challenged to support and secure the remote workforce from new cyber threats to protect their faculty, staff, and students from cyber-attacks. The focus of this study was to identify …

Examining Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy To Teach Engineering: The Impact Of Project Lead The Way Launch Professional Development, Branden Robert Hoefert

Dissertations and Theses

Today’s elementary teachers are expected to teach the engineering practices included in the National Research Council’s Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Recent studies have indicated that teachers are less self-efficacious in teaching engineering than in other subject areas. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that offers pre-K–12th grade curricula and teacher training focused on three pathways: engineering, computer science, and biomedical science. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PLTW transitioned its teacher trainings to a virtual modality. At the time of this study, most of PLTW’s teacher training remained virtual or hybrid. …

Late For Class But Still On The Bus: Women's Persistence At A Community College, Mellisa Flanigan

Dissertations and Theses

The importance of post-traditional women’s persistence in earning credentials at community college cannot be understated. The literature addressed the issue of non-completion within the community college; however, it did not address why or how some students completed, particularly, post-traditional women. Gaps existed in the literature, as it primarily concerned why students did not finish. Therefore, the research conducted for this study was critical for higher education to understand why some post-traditional complete credentials.. Throughout this phenomenological study, five themes emerged: resiliency, respect, economics, support, and integration, as well as subthemes as the women shared stories of how they persisted in …

Perceptions Of Mental Health Support Services Among South Asian Students, Naina Richards

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

PERCEPTIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT SERVICES AMONG SOUTH ASIAN STUDENTS

Naina Richards, Ed.D.

Department of Counseling and Higher Education

Northern Illinois University, 2023

Katy Jaekel, Director

This qualitative research study aimed to identify stigmas surrounding mental health that influenced South Asian graduate students’ help-seeking behavior while enrolled in higher education. Findings from this study suggest that cultural stigmas associated with mental illness foster concerning attitudes among South Asian students that equate mental illness with weakness and thus, promote minimization of personal mental struggles to avoid negative labeling and judgement. Recommendations from this study encourage university student support services to …

Disconnected, Frustrated And Withdrawn: Institutional Policy Implications For Equity In Student And Faculty Community, Jessica Marie Welsh

Dissertations and Theses

DFW rates at intuitions of higher education for students from underrepresented populations trended higher than majority students. A single explanatory case study provides insight to the factors impacting DFW rates in first-year gateway courses at a four-year, public, comprehensive institution. The study employed the use of focus groups of students, non-tenure-track faculty, and tenure-track faculty. In addition, institutional data was collected and used to triangulate to the data collected from focus groups. The inductive results showed multiple institutional barriers causing DFW rates among first-generation, Pell Grant, and/or students of color. Using Turner and Angulo’s (2018) theoretical framework of high-risk decision-making …

Induction And Mentoring Programs: Pathways To New Teacher Retention And Success, Valerie Kim Seales

Dissertations and Theses

The pipeline of college students seeking teaching positions is shrinking. The teacher shortage makes finding and retaining new teachers even more challenging. The cost of replacing existing teachers who leave is tremendous, and new teachers leave the profession at an alarming rate. This dissertation explored the lived experiences of new teachers who recently completed their induction and mentoring program. The study addresses three primary research questions: (1) What are the perceived benefits and deficits of the induction program (2) What (if any) additional support do new teachers need to improve their work experience in our schools? Using a phenomenological research …

Etsu Today - Winter 2023, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU Today [magazine]

This past semester, I had the pleasure of delivering one of the most exciting State of the University addresses of my tenure at East Tennessee State University. During the presentation, I shared many of our campus community’s outstanding accomplishments of the past year. Despite a global health crisis, we recorded our highest graduation rate in the university’s history. We outpaced most public universities in Tennessee in enrollment growth and welcomed the most diverse class in the institution’s history this fall. Even as we struggled against burnout from the pandemic, we recorded our highest levels of employee satisfaction and surpassed national …

Using Drawing As A Tool For Investigating Undergraduate Conceptions Of Earth Scientists, Peggy Mcneal, Deepika Menon, Deef Allah Al Shorman, Paulina Gajewska-Schaefer

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate students’ conceptions of Earth scientists, using drawing as a tool, during introductory Earth science courses. We explored two research questions: 1) What student conceptions are evident in undergraduate students’ drawings of Earth scientists? and 2) How do undergraduate students’ conceptions of Earth scientists—as evidenced in their drawings—change as a result of completing an introductory Earth science course? We collected pre- and post-drawings of Earth scientists from 94 students in six introductory Earth science courses at two universities and coded the 188 drawings across 39 indicators. We used Chi Square Goodness of …

Title Page, Book Info, Julia M. Gossard, Chris Babits

Habits of Mind

Although content knowledge remains at the heart of college teaching and learning, forward-thinking instructors recognize that we must also provide 21st-century college students with transferable skills (sometimes called portable intellectual abilities) to prepare them for their futures (Vazquez, 2020; Ritchhart, 2015; Venezia & Jaeger, 2013; Hazard, 2012). To “grow their capacity as efficacious thinkers to navigate and thrive in the face of unprecedented change” (Costa et al., 2023), students must learn and improve important study skills and academic dispositions throughout their educational careers. If we do not focus on skills-building in college courses, students will not be prepared for the …

Chapter 6- #Digitalpowerups: Creating Safe And Brave Spaces In Online Discussions To Support Student Choice And Voice, Leonard A. Henderson, Travis N. Thurston, Mehmet Soyer, Gonca Soyer, Josie Tollefson

Habits of Mind

When structured effectively, online discussions can create safe and brave spaces (Murphy et al., 2020) for students to engage in meaningful dialogue surrounding traditionally difficult topics, like gender and sexuality. Yet it can be challenging to motivate students to participate in online discussions (Moore, 2021). In this chapter, we show how the #digitalpowerups strategy provides an innovative and effective way for instructors to engage students in higher-order online discussion by developing Habits of Mind skills, such as applying past knowledge to new situations, thinking about your thinking (metacognition), listening and understanding with empathy, thinking interdependently, responding with wonder and awe, …

Chapter 7- Learning Beyond Content: Using Weekly Reflection To Promote Student Confidence And Lifelong Learning, Nichelle Frank

Habits of Mind

During an intake survey in my introductory-level history courses, my students select from a series of answers to respond to the question, “What do YOU believe are the goals of a college-level history class (select ALL that apply)?” The possible answers are “teach information about people, places, and events in the past,” “teach critical thinking skills,” “practice oral communication,” “practice written communication,” “memorize lists of dates and facts,” and “expose students to diverse points of view.” I have used this question as part of a pre-course assessment since fall 2021. The top three answers, which 70% (or more) of the …

Chapter 8- Making Asynchronous Online Discussions Meaningful: An Introduction To The Pioneer Method With Robust Scaffolding, Matthew D. Laplante

Habits of Mind

The students in my graduate cohort were motivated. Most were teachers with years of experience. Some had won national awards. Several were experts on working with at-risk learners. These were people who knew how to learn. Yet we were all struggling with our online classes.

Chapter 10- Mindful Teaching, Leadership, And Reflection Practices, Jessie Koltz

Habits of Mind

Feeling confident and excelling personally or professionally may come off as a challenge for educators and students who do not have stress-reducing skills to fall back on. Negative academic or professional stress could then have effects on many aspects of an individual’s life, such as mental health, substance use, sleep, physical health, lackluster achievement in academics and/or personal success, and even school dropout or professional burnout (Proctor, Guttman-Lapin, & Kendrick-Dunn, 2020). How can we engage our students in pedagogical practices focused on how to support mindfulness-based learning, leadership strategies, and reflection practices within higher education settings? How can educators integrate …

Chapter 11- Hindsight Is 20/20: The Role Of Reflection In Learning, Jenifer Evers

Habits of Mind

My teaching philosophy hinges on student-directed learning, creating opportunities for student success, and depth of learning versus rote memorization. Over the years, I have experimented with different ways to assess student understanding of new concepts as well as to stay connected to individual students in a timely and effective manner. I simultaneously recognize the difficulty of accomplishing this in a manner that is not terribly time-consuming for the student or for myself. Ultimately, I created an assignment that achieves my goal using several qualities highlighted in Costa et al.’s Habits of Mind framework (2022).

Chapter 12- Weaving Purposeful Worlds Of Discovery: Merging Cliftonstrengths® With Habits Of Mind For Low-Income, First-Generation Students, Kimberly Hiatt, Kelsey Bushman, Heather Lyman, Sarah Gosney

Habits of Mind

Utah State University (USU) Blanding is a non-tribal institution with close to 70% of its student population originating from the Navajo Nation, Dinétah. Located 388 miles southeast of the main campus in Logan, Utah, USU Blanding serves a population of students living in geographically remote areas, including the largest Native American–populated region in the United States. This vast territory—encompassing some 13,300 square miles, which exceeds the combined area of Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and Rhode Island—is classified as “frontier.” With a population density of 2.0 persons per square mile and a poverty rate of 33% (as compared to the …

Chapter 13- Habits Of Mind Courses For College Success: Empowering Students To Plan And Read, Melanie Chambers, Sharon Lyman

Habits of Mind

Ana takes a deep breath as her professor hands back her midterm. To her chagrin, she sees a red F at the top of the page. As she wonders where things went awry, her mind replays the events leading up to her arrival at the testing center where she took the exam. Poor time management coupled with little to no interest in the assigned readings seemed to be the compounding culprits of her failed exam. Now, in place of the A she had envisioned herself earning, an unsettling feeling sets in. Ana wonders whether she can still pass the class.

Chapter 17- Tiktok Is Not Peer Reviewed: Modifying Assignments To Nurture Habits Of Mind, Rachel Robison-Greene

Habits of Mind

During any given semester, my most engaged students send me materials related to what we are discussing in class. I always appreciate students’ excitement about the course content and the opportunity to experience different forums for conversation with my students. As the years have passed, however, more of the material students pass along comes in the form of YouTube videos. These videos will often star popular YouTube personalities who create content that has millions of views. Sometimes, the ideas the students pass along come in the form of short TikTok videos. This is all fine and even entertaining until this …

Chapter 19- "I See Research Questions Everywhere": Developing Metacognitive Skills In An English-Major Research Methods Course, Joyce Kinkead, John Draeger, Jill K. Singer

Habits of Mind

How many ways can sticky notes—branded as Post-it Notes and introduced in 1980 by 3M—be used by college students? According to the undergraduate who investigated this topic, 31. In the report she produced as a result of a study conducted in English 3470: Approaches to Research in English Studies, the researcher found that “many stationery products have died with advancements in technology, but the Post-it Note has thrived and continues to play a role in productivity in the workplace, continuing at the top of the supply list” (Eralie, 2019). To come to this magic number of 31, Megan conducted a …

Afterword, Julia M. Gossard, Chris Babits

Habits of Mind

Utah State University (USU) instructors are committed to developing the Habits of Mind that can help students achieve academic, career, and personal success. Many instructors have designed entire courses around Habits of Mind. Others have incorporated Habits of Mind into specific assessments. And some instructors have created course policies that align strongly with the Habits of Mind learning framework. The work highlighted in this edited collection demonstrates how seriously USU takes its mission to educate our students.

Introduction And References, Julia M. Gossard, Chris Babits

Habits of Mind

Although content knowledge remains at the heart of college teaching and learning, forward-thinking instructors recognize that we must also provide 21st-century college students with transferable skills (sometimes called portable intellectual abilities) to prepare them for their futures (Vazquez, 2020; Ritchhart, 2015; Venezia & Jaeger, 2013; Hazard, 2012). To “grow their capacity as efficacious thinkers to navigate and thrive in the face of unprecedented change” (Costa et al., 2023), students must learn and improve important study skills and academic dispositions throughout their educational careers. If we do not focus on skills-building in college courses, students will not be prepared for the …

Substance Use And Trauma Among Adult Education Students In The United States, Brittany Miller-Roenigk, Michael Awad, Maria C. Crouch, Derrick M. Gordon

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Adult basic education (ABE) programs in the United States serve millions of students annually to help them achieve high school equivalency, English proficiency, and other skills. These skills are necessary for upward mobility and competitiveness in the labor market, which is important for ABE students who are disproportionately affected by racial/ethnic disparities and poverty. Among learners who are not in ABE programs, substance use and trauma affect student outcomes. Similar research is limited among ABE students. Understanding the influence of these factors among ABE students can better inform interventions. The current study, grounded in Stress and Coping Theory, examined rates, …