Education Commons^™

An Exploratory Case Study On The Perspectives Of African American Men Pursuing A Career And Technical Education (Cte) Pathway At An Urban Community College In Illinois, Kimberly Kay Hollingsworth

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores the motivating factors that influence CTE pathway selection for African American men students and will investigate the interplay between two components of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), self-efficacy and outcome expectations, and their role in the career decision-making process. Drawing upon SCCT, this case study seeks to understand the decision-making process of African American men pursuing CTE programs at an urban community college in Illinois. This study further explored whether culture/race shapes the perspectives of African American men students and their decision to pursue a CTE pathway. Lastly, the study will investigate the types of …

Medical Laboratory Professional Faculty Perspectives On Academic Integrity: A Narrative Inquiry, Andrea L. Jensen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Academic integrity is a critical practice in medical laboratory professional (MLP) programs because academic health professions programs prepare learners for their future professional roles in healthcare. Because dishonest conduct and/or a lack of competence in healthcare environments can negatively impact patient safety, it is essential that MLP students establish integrity skills and build professional competence while completing their academic programs. Faculty in MLP programs play an important role in helping students develop themselves into scrupulous, competent practitioners. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of MLP faculty through a narrative inquiry of their lived experiences around academic integrity. Findings from this …

Investigating Boredom Within The Context Of Sixth-Grade Mathematics Classes, Tammy S. Judkins

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examined how the perception of the achievement-emotion of boredom impacted the academic agency of sixth-grade mathematics students. The study for this dissertation was completed during the Covid 19 pandemic. Through an explanatory sequential mixed methods study, sixth-grade mathematics student volunteers from a Midwest middle school responded to survey items on achievement-emotions as well as shared their perspectives about their perception of boredom in three mathematics settings: classroom, studying and/or independent learning, and testing. Eleven of the 69 sixth-grade mathematic students participated in three rounds of data collection: the AEQ-M Survey, homogenous focus group discussions, and individual interviews. A …

Preservice Teacher Socialization For Social Justice: Exploring Stances And Enactments Of Social Justice Pedagogies, Eric R. Junco

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This multicase study examined the socialization experiences of four preservice high school English teachers from four different Midwestern teacher education programs to understand how their acculturative and professional socialization experiences influenced their social justice beliefs. This study also examined how participants’ most salient social justice beliefs took shape within their social justice stances, mission-oriented approaches to enact social justice pedagogies like culturally responsive teaching, antiracist pedagogy, and culturally sustaining pedagogy within their classrooms. This study was framed by occupational socialization theory and critical race theory. Data were collected from the Learning to Teach for Social Justice Belief Scale, interviews, and …

We Made It. Now What? A Qualitative Case Study Exploring How The Transition Of Black Men To A Historically Black Community College Is Influenced By Orientation 101, Eric R. Agee Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A gap in achievement among Black men who pursue post-secondary education remains. Many Black men start their college education at community colleges, but little is known about their experiences at Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCCs). The purpose of this dissertation of practice was to gain insights into the influence of College 101, also labeled Orientation to College 101 (ORI 101), on the transition of Black men to an HBCC. I utilized a qualitative case study design. The main data source were 15 semi-structured interviews, which were supplemented with closed-ended student survey responses on the ORI 101 course evaluation and the …

Secondary School Gifted Students’ Attitude Toward The Classera Learning Management System In Saudi Arabia, Mansour Alamri

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined secondary students’ attitude toward the Classera learning management system (LMS) within the context of gifted education in Saudi Arabia. The theoretical framework that guided this study was the technology acceptance model (TAM). Data were collected using the TAM survey, which consisted three subscales: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude. The data were collected from 306 gifted students in a secondary school in Saudi Arabia.Results indicated that gifted students’ attitude toward the Classera LMS is positive and showed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were statistically significant predictors of gifted students’ attitude toward …

Representations And Perceptions Of Sexual Pleasure In Undergraduate Anatomy And Physiology (A&P) Courses, Brenda Kucha Anak Ganeng

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The World Health Organization defines sexual pleasure as an important part of positive sexual experiences and sexual health. Despite its importance, sexual pleasure is often omitted from sexual health programming and curricula. Undergraduate human anatomy and physiology (A&P) courses serve as avenues where students who intend to go into health care learn foundational knowledge about human body systems and health; however, to our knowledge, there has been no documentation of if and how A&P students learn about sexual pleasure. A&P textbooks serve as an important resource for curriculum design and learning. I sought to answer the following research question: How …

“Not A Typical Adjunct”: Qualitative Case Studies Of Adjuncts Serving A Teacher Preparation Program, Rachel Lee Warren

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The teacher shortage in Illinois drives a need for robust teacher education programs. Simultaneously, changes in higher education have forced a dependence on adjunct instructors. While this provides an opportunity to have teacher candidates instructed by talented, accomplished current practitioners, adjuncting is a low-paid, exhausting job with little security. As adjuncts are predominantly women, this suggests the issue is gendered. In a descriptive case study of five adjuncts serving a teacher preparation program, findings show that adjuncts experiences gendered organizational practices through invisible and emotional labor as well as through interaction with the ideal worker norm.

Administrator Knowledge Of The First Amendment Rights In A School And How To Improve Legal Literacy Through Self-Efficacy, Stuart E. Wrzesinski

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the legal literacy of school administrators and the lack of mandated training regarding school law, specific to the First Amendment. With continual changes in education school administrators can function as the change agent for schools through the lens of self-efficacy. This dissertation is organized into three bodies of work. Paper 1 is a review of literature specific to legal literacy and First Amendment rights in schools. Additional research on self-efficacy theory is presented as a potential catalyst for increasing legal literacy in schools. Paper 2 documents data based on survey questions specific to legal literacy within the …

Changing The Narrative Of Disengagement: Exploring Academic Identity Formation For Non-Ethno-European Students, Luis E. Lopez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic and the changing demographics of the American identity have drawn attention to the necessity of reforming the Ethno-European education system to meet the needs of a diverse student population. If the educational landscape is to be transformed to meet the needs of a growing non-Ethno-European student population, more research is needed to explore factors that increase non-Ethno-European students’ academic engagement. This research attempted to identify individual and systemic factors contributing to non-Ethno-European students’ academic engagement during secondary education. This exploration began by outlining the role a cohesive identity continuum has on education engagement for non-Ethno-European students. Antecedent …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Factors Contributing To Adult Education Students’ Transition To Credit Courses, Heather Martin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Adult education programs serve students with low literacy and numeracy skills. They provide instructional services below the postsecondary level for students who have limited English proficiency and students who are working towards obtaining their high school equivalency. Once adult education students complete their programs, they may choose to transition to college credit courses or enroll in a job training program. This study examined student factors that impact the likelihood of adult education students transitioning to college credit courses. Stepwise regression was used to analyze five years of adult education data from over 3,000 students in an adult education program in …

“It Takes A Village”: Student Mothers’ Experiences With Barriers And Support While Navigating Community College, Jeanine Mcmillen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Student parents may feel invisible on college campuses, especially student mothers, who often feel ignored and overlooked when institutional policies and practices are not tailored to their needs and challenges. These students are especially vulnerable to withdrawing from college, even in institutional contexts that boast a positive and welcoming climate for underrepresented students. Using validation theory with a critical lens as the guiding theoretical framework, this qualitative case study examined how student mothers at one community college navigate barriers and supports within and outside of the institution. Findings revealed three themes, indicating that student mothers must cobble together a village …

Cadet Perceptions Of Learning Using Police Video Simulators, Stephen Francis Miko

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The topic for this study was police cadet perceptions of learning using video simulators. The main research question for this project was: “How are video simulators perceived by police cadets as a learning method at the police academy?” The participants for this qualitative study were 16 recently graduated police cadets from an anonymous midwestern suburban police academy. They were chosen using purposive sampling based on their relevance as recently graduated cadets. The cadets were interviewed and the results in the study show the perceptions towards the use of simulators as a learning strategy were generally positive and the cadets thought …

Stories Of Teaching On A Conceal And Carry Stage: A Dramaturgical Narrative Inquiry, Christopher J. Miller

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The story of a mass shooting occurring on the place of school seems to be a common one in contemporary American cultural narrative. One of the more controversial solutions offered within this narrative is allowing citizens to protect themselves through the practice of conceal and carry. The practice of legally allowing individuals to conceal and carry a firearm while at the place of school and in the place of class is at the cornerstone of this research inquiry.

This qualitative research study employs a dramaturgical narrative approach to explore the daily lives of full-time community college faculty members. In figuratively …

Facilitating Equal Access For Disabled Students Who Are Incarcerated: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study Of Community Colleges' Disability Services In For-Credit Correctional Education Programs, Jenifer K. Montag

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Issues regarding the provision of accommodations for students with disabilities exist in both traditional college environments and nonstandard settings such as medical and legal education settings. While the situation is less than optimal for disabled students seeking degrees in the general population, who are unfettered in their academic pursuits, little is known about accommodations for disabled students who are incarcerated and enrolled in for-credit courses through community colleges that have partnerships with local prisons. This mixed methods study is focused on exploring the current state of accommodation service provision by public community college disability service providers for disabled students’ who …

Evidence-Based Decision Making In Elementary Schools: A Case Study Of How Districts Make Decisions When Implementing Foreign Language Programs, Danielle Elizabeth Moran

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Learning another language is considered a key 21st century subject, something that all students should begin in elementary school. However, most school districts in Illinois do not offer students the opportunity to learn another language in elementary school. There are effective and high quality programs available to learn another language that are also mutually beneficial to English learners (ELs). District leaders in charge of planning curricular programs have choices about which programs are offered and are tasked with considering the many needs of the districts they serve. The purpose of this study was to learn about the decision making of …

How Principals Influence, Facilitate, And Support Instructional Coaching Programs, Nadine Y. Norris

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative, multicase study examined how principals perceived the role of instructional coaches and how they facilitated, influenced, and supported teachers’ professional learning through the instructional coaching program. Including the researcher as a participant, 16 participants from three suburban school districts—including district-level administrators, principals, instructional coaches, and teachers—engaged in semistructured interviews. This study was framed by Desimone’s core conceptual framework for professional development and Spillane’s distributed leadership model. Data analysis revealed principals viewed instructional coaches as their partners in instructional leadership and professional learning facilitators. Principals facilitated and influenced the instructional coaching program by empowering teachers, promoting collaboration, and establishing …

Engagement Detection Using Prosodic Cues: An Approach For Measuring Child Emotional Engagement Level In Child-Robot Interaction Scenario, Mustafa Oztoprak

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The ultimate goal of advanced child-robot interaction is to develop a high-level intelligencecommunication channel in a closed-loop configuration with the child as the focal point of the instructional scenario. This goal can be met by establishing efficient sensing mechanisms on the robot’s side, such as automatic engagement measuring, which will allow the robot to alter its behavior or even the instructional scenario’s execution.Recent researches, regarding engagement recognition systems mostly based on facial or multi-modal features.We would like to investigate this topic using prosodic cues only. We believe speech characteristics are more likely to be related to child speaker engagement level.This …

The Effects Of Rater Training On Rater Effects And Validity Of Direct Behavior Ratings, Abigail E. Pruitt

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Educators have a responsibility to accurately measure student behavior in order to identify students in need of additional behavioral support. Current behavior screening tools can be lengthy or difficult to complete, and Direct Behavior Ratings (DBRs) offer a solution. However, DBRs are rater-mediated assessments, prone to rater effects. Rater training methods can be used to mitigate these rater effects, but previous research has not investigated the best training method for reduction of rater effects. Additionally, Many Facet Rasch Measurement (MFRM) provides an opportunity to adjust student ratings in response to individual rater tendencies of severity and leniency. Therefore, the primary …

Case Study Of Elementary Teacher Perceptions Regarding Technology Integration In The Writing Curriculum, Dana Marie Robinson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study focused on the perceptions three elementary school teachers had regarding their ability to integrate technology into the writing curriculum as well as their understanding of how technology and multimodalities can actually be integrated. The three teachers were asked to reflect on their technology use in teaching writing for a 12-week period. Each was selected based on their self-reported Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) as measured by a screening survey. In addition to these reflections, they were interviewed at the beginning, middle, and end of the study period. Data collection methods also included weekly lesson plan reflections …

Quarantine And Isolation Experiences Of College Students: A Narrative, Brooke Gibson

Masters Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unanticipated phenomenon, with a lack of information surrounding quarantine and isolation experiences in college students and how this impacts their sense of belonging. This qualitative narrative study utilized semi-structured interviews to understand the participants’ experience of isolation at a rural mid-sized university in the Midwest. The research shared the students experiences and showed that participants lacked some sense of belonging whether it was with friends, family, or their institution.

The Influence Of Institutional Social Media And College Students' Choice, Anna Fishbein

Masters Theses

Social media has become a way of personal communication as well as a way for brands and businesses to connect with consumers. In the past twenty years, the expansion of technology into everyday life has impacted the way we interact and communication. There is a lack of information surrounding how social media is influencing prospective students’ college choice. There are studies focused on student college choice, and studies focused on how social media impacts consumers, but there is limited research focused on bridging the two concepts. This quantitative study utilized a causal-comparative survey to explore the influence of institutional social …

Faculty Perceptions On Working With Students With Learning Disabilities, Ashley Jezik

Masters Theses

Students with specific learning disabilities in higher education have been rapidly increasing. Legislation has been a large factor in the equality in education for individuals with disabilities making it easier to attend higher education. College students with disabilities have the hard and important choice of self-disclosing their disability, with many choosing not to. A main role for faculty is to support their students. This qualitative study aims to identify the knowledge faculty have about this student population and how they work with their disability services office. The research shows that faculty's knowledge on students with disabilities are solely based on …

Conduct Professionals' Experiences With Student Misconduct And Mental Health, Robyn Bauer

Masters Theses

Over the years, mental health concerns have continued to rise in college students and is compounded by the natural stressors associated with navigating unfamiliar territory, increased social and academic pressures, as well as added responsibilities and obligations (Pedrelli et al., 2015). Mental illnesses have been linked to misconduct, disruptive behavior, or violent behavior among students (Center for Parent Information and Resources, 2017; Johnson et al., 2018; Semenza & Grosholz, 2019; Taylor & Smith, 2019). There is limited research focused on the intersection of mental health and misconduct. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured questions to explore how conduct professionals manage mental …

Social Validity And Feasibility Of The Five In 20 Classroom Management Observation Tool, Kaylee Hampton

Masters Theses

The present study aimed to assess the social validity and feasibility of a standardized classroom observation tool intended to assess teachers’ current use of the five features critical to effective classroom management. Forty-three observers who regularly conducted classroom observations (e.g., school psychologists) were recruited to complete 20-min observations in kindergarten through twelfth grade classrooms, and then complete an adapted behavior intervention rating scale to assess their social validity ratings of the tool. Due to COVID-19, observers could either complete a live observation or recall a previously completed observation. Of the 43 observations, 15 were live and 28 were recalled. To …

The Experiences And Transition Of Black Former Student Athletes Through And Out Of College, Nyjah Lane

Masters Theses

Using a narrative approach this researcher used a qualitative study to examine the experiences and transitions of former Black student athletes at a Division I institution. The study involved four participants who were three to four years removed from completing college and athletic retirement. Schlossberg’s (1981) transition theory, Astin’s (1999) involvement theory, and Baxter Magolda’s (2008) Self authorship theory was used as the theoretical frameworks for this study. The findings provide insight in to how their experiences as college student athletes impacted their ability to graduate and transition out of college. The participants relied on the support and strategies they …

An Exploration Of Middle School Teachers’ Utilization Of Culturally Responsive Teaching, Samantha Phillips

Masters Theses

Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) can be used as a means for effectively teaching and managing students and decreases the achievement gap between students of Color and their White counterparts. This qualitative study with an ethnographic design examines the utilization of culturally responsive teaching strategies of two middle school teachers and two principals in public schools on the Southwest side of Chicago. The study is guided by one research question: What aspects of culturally responsive teaching practices are teachers using in their teaching strategies? The study has two purposes: To analyze the effectiveness of two middle school teachers’ utilization of culturally …

Promoting Personal And Social Responsibility In Higher Education, Karisa L. Kuipers

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation utilizes a three-paper approach to explore the topic of promoting personal and social responsibility (PSR) in higher education. Paper one is a conceptual piece that examines the alignment between the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model and PSR in higher education. The paper proposed a kinesiology-based framework (i.e., the TPSR model) to assist in defining, implementing, and evaluating PSR education with post-secondary students. The paper offered a general overview of the higher education landscape and then presented its alignment with the TPSR model. Recommendations for implementing the framework into higher education were shared, and challenges with integrating …

Eat Glass And Walk On Fire, While Managing A Pandemic: A Narrative Study Of African American Women Who Serve As Chief Housing Officers, Valronica Marie Scales

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Creating uncertainty and stress, the COVID-19 pandemic and increased attention on racial relations, drastically changed how higher education and student affairs operated. For African American women, combatting racism and sexism has always been a daily occurrence in their professional and personal life but the pandemic heightened the challenges African American women had to overcome. This narrative inquiry study explored the lived experiences of African American women who were serving as Chief Housing Officers at Predominately White Institutions during the first 18-months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings highlight how the intersection of sexism and racism shaped the lived experiences of the …

“There Was Me Before Prp, And Then There Was Me After I Participated In Prp”: A Mixed-Methods Program Evaluation Of A Pharmacy Summer Pipeline Program, Cynthia Schaefer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Nationwide, there has been a decline in the number of applicants to PharmD programs.

Additionally, there is a lack of diversity in the healthcare workforce that leads to inequitable healthcare for diverse populations of patients. As a result, various recruitment tactics, including pipeline programs, have been used to develop a larger, more diverse applicant pool to the College of Pharmacy at a regional satellite campus in the Midwest. The purpose of this mixed methods summative program evaluation was to examine the experiences of participants of a pipeline program hosted at a regional satellite campus for a pharmacy program to determine …